Rejuvenating liquid crystal elastomers for self-growth

This paper presents a strategy to rejuvenate non-fresh liquid crystal elastomers (LCES) to their initial state, enabling on-demand self-growth. The rejuvenation process leverages the synergistic effects of solvents and dynamic covalent bonds during swelling, physically transforming the LCES from the liquid crystal phase to the isotropic phase while facilitating topological rearrangements. This method allows for repeated rejuvenation, growth history erasure, and selective growth regulation, promising significant advancements in soft growing robotics.

Hongtu Xu, Huan Liang, Yang Yang, Yawen Liu, Enjian He, Zhijun Yang, Yixuan Wang, Yen Wei, Yan Ji