In the field of materials science, the application of liquid crystal materials has always been a research hotspot. Recently, the team of Chun-Yen Liu from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan published a paper titled "Thermochromic Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers Featuring a Predesigned Hybrid Architecture" in the journal ACS Publications, which has attracted widespread attention. The study successfully developed a liquid crystal elastomer with thermochromic and shape-changing capabilities. Behind this innovative achievement is the critical support of high-quality liquid crystal materials provided by CHEMFISH.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsapm.4c01347

The paper mentioned that the research team used our company's liquid crystal monomers RM257, RM105, and chiral dopant CF756 (alias: LC756, CAS: 223572-88-1). These materials demonstrated excellent performance in the experiments and provided key support for the multi-functional characteristics of the liquid crystal elastomer. Specifically:

Chemical structure of the compounds used for preparing the CLC mixture.

• RM257 acted as a crosslinking agent, forming a stable network structure during polymerization, which enhanced the mechanical and thermal stability of the material.
• RM105, as a nematic liquid crystal monomer, provided good fluidity and responsiveness to the material, facilitating rapid shape change.
• LC756, as a high helical twisting power (HTP) chiral dopant, effectively modulated the helical structure of the liquid crystal, thereby achieving color change.

The synergistic action of these materials enabled the prepared liquid crystal elastomer to exhibit redshift and reversible shape change under thermal stimulation, demonstrating excellent thermochromic and shape memory properties.

POM texture of R1, G1, and B1 CLC mixtures in both their (a–c) planar state and (d–f) isotropic state.

This achievement not only brings new possibilities to the field of smart materials but also further proves the important role of our company's products in promoting academic research and technological innovation.

Liquid Crystal Mixture E7. It is applied to prepare double-layer thermochromic liquid crystal hybrid films through an innovative continuous lamination technique. These films can reversibly change their structural color and shape, which is attributed to the combination of a planar cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) layer and a spray-constructed nematic liquid crystal (NLC) layer, and this has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.

The color change of ordinary double-layer hybrid samples is limited with temperature variation, while that of the double-layer films doped with E7 is significantly enhanced. The cyclic test of reversible bending actuation, conducted by utilizing the polymerization properties of E7, has shown excellent results.

E7 holds great potential in several cutting-edge fields. In the field of soft robotics, it can mimic biological movements and assist in the development of intelligent and adaptive robotic systems. In artificial muscle development, its outstanding actuation capabilities contribute to the creation of more lifelike and efficient muscle-like structures. In the area of optical devices, it can be used for the research and development of a new generation of displays, sensors, and optical switches with superior performance.
 

CHEMFISH has always been committed to providing high-quality liquid crystal materials for researchers to help them achieve breakthroughs in their respective fields. This application in the research of National Cheng Kung University once again highlights the excellent performance and broad application prospects of our products. We look forward to collaborating with more research teams in the future to jointly explore the infinite possibilities of liquid crystal materials and contribute more to the development of materials science.