Guided Folding of Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomer Sheets into 3D via Patterned 1D Microchannels

Two-dimensional liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE) sheets with preprogrammed topological defects are prepared by aligning liquid-crystal monomers within micropatterned epoxy channels, followed by photopolymerization. Upon heating, the LCE films form various three-dimensional structures in agreement with theoretical design. The miniaturized LCE actuators offer large-area work capacities (≈1.05 J m^-2 ) to lift over 700 times their own weight.