writer：Lu, H.; Wang, M.; Huang, S.; Chen, X.; Liu, Z.; Yang, H.*
keywords：Liquid Crystal Elastomer
source：期刊
specific source：Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2021, 52(3), 304-311.
Issue time：2021年

Most of the traditional liquid crystal elastomers are based on polyacrylate or polysiloxane systems and

prepared  by  thermal  or  photo-initiated  free-radical  polymerization.  However,  the  free-radical  polymerization  is

easily inhibited by oxygen, causing high volume shrinkage and large internal stress during the curing process . In

order to address these drawbacks, we design and synthesize a new liquid crystal monomer and a crosslinking agent

bearing  epoxy  groups.  The  epoxy  liquid  crystal  elastomer  is  prepared  by in situ cationic  polymerization/

crosslinking using iodonium salt as the photo-initiator. Compared with the traditional liquid crystal elastomers, the

volume shrinkage is small during the photo-initiated cationic reaction and the photo-curing process will not be

interfered  by  oxygen.  The  liquid  crystallinity  and  mechanical  properties  of  the  epoxy  liquid  crystal  elastomer

material are systematically characterized. The results show that epoxy liquid crystal elastomer material prepared

by  photo-initiated  cationic  polymerization  possess  better  mechanical  properties  than  the  traditional

polyacrylate/polysiloxane  liquid  crystal  elastomers.  The  elastic  modulus  reach  2.53  MPa  at  the  temperature

beyond the LC-to-isotropic phase transition.