A 3-way collaboration between the de Pablo, Rowan and Jaeger groups in IRG 1 developed a novel class of suspensions with tunable memory. The particles are made from liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) and exhibit anisotropic elasticity and shape-shifting characteristics. In these suspensions small changes in temperature can be used to induce large changes in material stiffness and transform the particle shape, thereby providing access to a wide range of different flow behaviors. In particular, ajammed, non-flowing state can be escaped by activating the shape memory behavior if the LCE particle.
This capability to modulate rheological responses in situ presents a new approach for addressing processing challenges in many applications where control of flow behavior is paramount.
The design of next-generation materials with tunable memory is one of the central goals of IRG1 at the Chicago MRSEC.
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Tunable shear thickening, aging, and rejuvenation in suspensions of shape-memory-endowed liquid crystalline particles
UChicago Materials Research Center
The UChicago MRSEC pioneers frameworks for materials discovery, focusing on trainable soft materials, activated architectured materials with dynamic transport properties, and quantum transduction for integrated circuits.