Muscle-MEMS - Microsystems engineering for fabrication of liquid crystal elastomers

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Hans Zappe; Professor Dr. Rudolf Zentel
• Subject Area: Microsystems ; Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 316245751

This project combines the fabrication and integration technologies of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with the technological capabilities of microsystems engineering and will thereby enable an entirely new type of micro-actuator for MEMS applications. Through the develop and application of wafer-level fabrication, the possibilities for LCE fabrication in micrometer dimensions with high reproducibility will become possible. As a result, considerably larger actuator stroke and greater flexibility in actuator configurations will become possible.To accomplish this, thin LCE films will be synthesized, structured and oriented on substrates at the wafer level. These techniques will require the development of new processing technologies, liquid-crystal orientation methods and novel means for photostructuring these soft and sensitive materials.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants