Laser-induced mechanical bending in azo dye-doped liquid-crystal elastomers

 

M. A. Camacho-Lopez^1,2, P. Palffy-Muhoray², H. Finkelmann³

 

¹ Coordinación de Posgrado, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo, Tollocan s/n esq. Jesús Carranza, Toluca Edo. de México, 50120, México.

² Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44240, USA.

³ Institut für Makromolekulare Chemie, Universität Freiburg, D79104 Freiburg, Germany

 

Abstract

Laser-induced deformation (bending) in azo dye-doped liquid-crystal elastomer thick films is demonstrated. We directly measure the laser-power-dependent deformation-strength (driving force). The deformation-relaxation time is also measured. We have observed that it recovers within 300 ms after the excitation laser pulse is gone, this gave a constant time of 75 ms. By estimating the optical electric field value of the laser pulses used in our experiments, we can compare our results with those obtained in polyurethane elastomers studied by the electrostriction technique [1,9].

Keywords: Liquid-crystal elastomers; Electrostriction; Opto-mechanical response.

 

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