Printed artificial cilia from liquid-crystal network actuators modularly driven by light

ABSTRACT Polymeric microactuators are potentially useful in micromechanical systems and lab-on-a-chip systems. However, manufacturing of miniature polymeric actuators has been complicated

owing to the necessity of including electrodes for actuation or using lithographic techniques for patterning. Here, we demonstrate that all-polymer microdevices can be fabricated using

inkjet printing technology in combination with self-organizing liquid-crystal network actuators. We exploit the self-assembling properties of the liquid crystal to create large strain

gradients, and light-driven actuation is chosen to allow simple and remote addressing. By using multiple inks, microactuators with different subunits are created that can be selectively

addressed by changing the wavelength of the light. The actuators mimic the motion of natural cilia. These artificial cilia have the potential to create flow and mixing in wet environments

such as lab-on-a-chip applications. The process is easily adapted for roll-to-roll fabrication, allowing for large-scale and low-cost production of miniaturized active polymer systems.

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this

journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer

support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS OPTOCAPILLARITY-DRIVEN ASSEMBLY AND RECONFIGURATION OF LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER ACTUATORS Article Open access 13 November 2020 A PRINTABLE ACTIVE

NETWORK ACTUATOR BUILT FROM AN ENGINEERED BIOMOLECULAR MOTOR Article 19 April 2021 SOFT SHAPE-PROGRAMMABLE SURFACES BY FAST ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATION OF LIQUID METAL NETWORKS Article Open

access 23 September 2022 REFERENCES * Madden, J. D. W. et al. Artificial muscle technology: Physical principles and naval prospects. _IEEE J. Ocean. Eng._ 29, 706–727 (2004). Article  Google

Scholar  * Mirfakhrai, T., Madden, J. D. W. & Baughman, R. H. Polymer artificial muscles. _Mater. Today_ 10, 30–38 (2007). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Jager, E. W. H., Smela, E.

& Inganas, O. Microfabricating conjugated polymer actuators. _Science_ 290, 1540–1545 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Sekitani, T. et al. A large-area wireless power-transmission

sheet using printed organic transistors and plastic MEMS switches. _Nature Mater._ 6, 413–417 (2007). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Küpfer, J. & Finkelmann, H. Nematic liquid single

crystal elastomers. _Macromol. Rapid Commun._ 12, 717–726 (1991). Article  Google Scholar  * Finkelmann, H., Nishikawa, E., Pereira, G. G. & Warner, M. A new opto-mechanical effect in

solids. _Phys. Rev. Lett._ 87, 015501 (2001). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Koerner, H., White, T. J., Tabiryan, N. V., Bunning, T. J. & Vaia, R. A. Photogenerating work from polymers.

_Mater. Today_ 11, 34–42 (2008). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Harris, K. D., Bastiaansen, C. W. M., Lub, J. & Broer, D. J. Self-assembled polymer films for controlled agent-driven

motion. _Nano Lett._ 5, 1857–1860 (2005). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Tajbakhsh, A. R. & Terentjev, E. M. Spontaneous thermal expansion of nematic elastomers. _Eur. Phys. J. E_ 6,

181–188 (2001). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Wermter, H. & Finkelmann, H. Liquid crystalline elastomers as artificial muscles. _e-Polymers_ 013 (2001). * Thomsen, D. L. et al. Liquid

crystal elastomers with mechanical properties of a muscle. _Macromolecules_ 34, 5868–5875 (2001). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Yu, Y. L., Nakano, M. & Ikeda, T. Directed bending of a

polymer film by light—miniaturizing a simple photomechanical system could expand its range of applications. _Nature_ 425, 145 (2003). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Woltman, S. J., Jay, G.

D. & Crawford, G. P. Liquid-crystal materials find a new order in biomedical applications. _Nature Mater._ 6, 929–938 (2007). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Den Toonder, J. et al.

Artificial cilia for active micro-fluidic mixing. _Lab Chip_ 8, 533–541 (2008). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Camacho-Lopez, M., Finkelmann, H., Palffy-Muhoray, P. & Shelley, M. Fast

liquid-crystal elastomer swims into the dark. _Nature Mater._ 3, 307–310 (2004). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * White, T. J. et al. A high frequency photodriven polymer oscillator. _Soft

Matter_ 4, 1796–1798 (2008). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Warner, M. & Mahadevan, L. Photoinduced deformations of beams, plates, and films. _Phys. Rev. Lett._ 92, 134302 (2004).

Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Broer, D. J. in _Polymerisation Mechanisms_ Vol. 3 (eds Fouassier, J. P. & Rabek, J. F.) Ch. 12 (Elsevier Applied Science, 1993). Google Scholar  * Van

Oosten, C. L., Harris, K. D., Bastiaansen, C. W. M. & Broer, D. J. Glassy photomechanical liquid crystal network actuators for microscale devices. _Eur. Phys. J. E._ 23, 329–336 (2007).

Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Nie, Z. & Kumacheva, E. Patterning surfaces with functional polymers. _Nature Mater._ 7, 277–290 (2008). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Khatavkar, V. V.,

Anderson, P. D., Den Toonder, J. M. J. & Meijer, H. E. H. Active micromixer based on artificial cilia. _Phys. Fluids_ 19, 083605 (2007). Article  Google Scholar  Download references

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was financially supported by the Dutch Polymer Institute under project # 532. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Eindhoven University of Technology,

NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, PO Box 513, The Netherlands Casper L. van Oosten, Cees W. M. Bastiaansen & Dirk J. Broer * Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK Cees

W. M. Bastiaansen * Philips Research Laboratories, High Tech Campus 4, NL-5656AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands Dirk J. Broer Authors * Casper L. van Oosten View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Cees W. M. Bastiaansen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Dirk J. Broer View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS C.W.M.B., C.L.v.O. and D.J.B. conceived and designed the experiments, C.L.v.O. carried out the

experiments and wrote the article and all authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript at all stages. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Casper L. van Oosten. RIGHTS AND

PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE van Oosten, C., Bastiaansen, C. & Broer, D. Printed artificial cilia from liquid-crystal network actuators

modularly driven by light. _Nature Mater_ 8, 677–682 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2487 Download citation * Received: 05 January 2009 * Accepted: 19 May 2009 * Published: 28 June 2009

* Issue Date: August 2009 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2487 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a

shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative