Design of Smart Releasing using Liquid Crystals via Chain Reaction

Abstract

Advanced microscale systems for stimuli-responsive release have recently received tremendous attention. However, the conventional stimuli-responsive release system requires specially designed materials and complex system such as electronic device, which limits diverse applications. To overcome the limitation, here we show a simple and versatile strategy to access the stimuli-responsive properties via liquid crystals (LCs). Our approach involves a chain reaction mechanism that triggers the release of polymer (e.g., alginate) and cross-linker (e.g., calcium ion) from the microcarriers that are elastically levitating within the LCs. This chain reaction begins with the sensing of a target stimulus, which causes the LCs to release the polymer microcarrier. The polymer then acts as a stimulus for the release of the cross-linker from the other LCs, which triggers the gelation process. This chain reaction mechanism provides a highly effective and efficient means of achieving stimuli-responsive release, and has been demonstrated to work effectively in our designed ‘Polymer Printer’ system. Supported by NRF(2021R1A2C2095010 & 2022M3C1A3081312)