Liquid‐Crystalline Elastomers: High‐Resolution 3D Direct Laser Writing for Liquid‐Crystalline Elastomer Microstructures (Adv. Mater. 15/2014)

Abstract

Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are great candidates for smart artificial materials. On page 2319, D. S. Wiersma, C. Parmeggiani, and co-workers use direct laser writing to fabricate 3D LCE structures with sub-micrometer resolution and maintaining the designed molecular orientation. This technique opens up the road towards 3D microphotonics in elastomers, and lays the basis for creating 3D, micrometer-size robotic structures, which can be controlled by light.