Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40249387›Full record

ArticleMacromolecular rapid communications2025

Shape Changes of Liquid Crystal Elastomers Swollen by Low Molecular Weight Liquid Crystal Drops.

Mahesha Kodithuwakku Arachchige, Rohan Dharmarathna, Paul Fleischer, Antal Jákli

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Macromolecular rapid communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mahesha Kodithuwakku ArachchigeDepartment of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
Rohan DharmarathnaAdvanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
Paul FleischerDepartment of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.
Antal JákliDepartment of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8627-7606

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

An elastomer swelling actuator deforms by absorbing fluid, thus generating mechanical movement. It is shown that depositing small droplets of low molecular weight liquid crystal on liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) films leads to shape changes and bending actuation. It is found that the radially symmetric LCE director alignments provide radially symmetric hat shapes while swelling LCEs with uniform director structure lead to arch shapes. Hybrid samples (different director alignments on two sides) lead to more complicated bent shapes. All the observed shapes can be explained by the diffusion that mainly progresses along the direction normal to the director of the LCE. The swelling induced bending force elevates the top of the swollen LCE up to a factor of 30, providing a powerful and long-lasting actuation. These observations may lead to applications in various fields, like sealants, soft robotics, and biomedical devices.

Indexed as

ElastomersLiquid CrystalsMolecular WeightElastomersbending actuationsliquid crystal elastomerslow molecular weight liquid crystalsshape changessmectic cybotactic clustersswelling actuators

Identifiers

PMID40249387
PMCPMC12344481

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.