Yun Cui
Papers
2
Total Citations
49
H-Index
2
About
Yun Cui’s research lies at the intersection of soft robotics, smart materials, and thermo-mechanics, with a particular focus on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs)—a class of programmable materials that undergo dramatic shape changes when heated. Her work provides the theoretical foundation for designing LCE-based bilayer structures, where a thermally responsive LCE layer is bonded to a passive polymer film, enabling large, controllable deformations for soft actuators and robots. Her most-cited paper, “Transient thermo-mechanical analysis for bimorph soft robot based on thermally responsive liquid crystal elastomers” (2019, 28 citations), presents a dynamic model that captures the time-dependent bending behavior of these bimorphs under thermal stimuli. Complementing this, her earlier paper “A simple analytical thermo-mechanical model for liquid crystal elastomer bilayer structures” (2018, 21 citations) offers a straightforward yet powerful framework for predicting curvature and stress distributions, making the design of LCE-based soft robots more accessible. Together, these contributions bridge the gap between materials science and robotics, providing engineers with practical tools to harness LCEs for applications ranging from soft grippers to bio-inspired locomotion.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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