Microactuators are an essential component in microsystems and microdevices, and in applications such as pumps, valves, or switches. The properties of these materials (strain, speed, density, power) are of great interest for industrial, medical, and domestic uses. In new work this month, A. Sanchez-Ferrer et al. have synthesized liquid-crystalline polymers containing photoreactive groups in order to obtain liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs). Their synthetic strategy results in thin elastomeric films, which can be integrated into silicon-based microsystems.
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