Long Liquid Crystal Elastomer Fibers with Large Reversible Actuation Strains for Smart Textiles and Artificial Muscles.

A method for fabricating long, soft, and reversibly actuatable liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fibers by using direct ink write (DIW) printing was developed. Here, the LCE was produced based on a two-stage thermal-photo curing reaction between a difunctional acrylate monomer and thiol. The LCE ink, mixed with nanoclay to increase the viscosity, was extruded through a nozzle onto a rotating mandrel to obtain a long fiber.