Illuminating the inner workings of active liquid crystal networks

The materials of the future are active, adaptive and interactive. In collaboration with the TU/e, Hanne van der Kooij has revealed how liquid crystal polymer networks can morph their shape in response to an electrical trigger. They have used the optical method Laser Speckle Imaging developed by the Sprakel group to resolve the dynamic surface of these polymers spectrally, temporally and spatially.

The remarkable findings are featured in the ICMS Highlights magazine of TU/e, found here, on pages 24-27.