Paula Straub

Project

Autonomous light-actuated LCE actuators

Subproject

Light-responsive liquid crystalline elastomers (LCE)
I am working on liquid crystalline elastomers (LCE). They are often described as artificial muscles due to their ability to actuate upon exposure to specific triggers. In my research, I integrate light-responsive units into the LCE so that the programmed actuation can be induced by light rather than by temperature. By improving the chemistries of these light-responsive units I will enable more specific and efficient actuation.
I am closely collaborating on this project with Jasleen Kaur Lall, who works on integrating the LCE into microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and on building demonstrators and more complex actuation patterns.

First supervisor

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rühe

Publications in livMatS

• Tunable and Large-Scale Model Network StarPEG-DNA Hydrogels*
  Akintayo, C. O., Creusen, G., Straub, P., & Walther, A.(2021). Tunable and Large-Scale Model Network StarPEG-DNA Hydrogels. Macromolecules. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00600
  
  
  * Funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy – EXC-2193/1 – 390951807