公开(公告)号：US20250136869A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-01

申请号：US18927122

申请日：2024-10-25

Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Inventor： Jack Forman ,  Ozgun Kilic Afsar ,  Sarah Nicita ,  Rosalie Hsin-Ju Lin ,  Cedric Honnet ,  Neil Gershenfeld ,  Hiroshi Ishii

IPC: C09K19/38 ,  B01J27/24 ,  B29C35/08 ,  B29C48/00 ,  B29C48/05 ,  B29L31/48 ,  C08F136/02

Abstract: Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) fibers, an apparatus for manufacturing, and a method for using the apparatus are provided. LCE fibers formed from each of a plurality of resin recipes can undergo reversible temperature driven actuation of the fiber. Each of the resin recipes forms a fiber having a different actuation temperature. The apparatus includes: an extrusion device, a drawing bobbin, a coating basin, a collector bobbin, a first plurality of curing devices, and a second plurality of curing devices, to transform a resin recipe into a LCE fiber. In operation, the extrusion device extrudes the resin through to the first plurality of curing devices for a partial cure. Once in contact with drawing bobbin the resin is coated in a fluid, and then pull through the second plurality of curing devices for a final cure by collector bobbin, where it can be collected and post-processed.