Advanced 4D printing of smart materials for sensing and adaptive structures

Topic description

We invite applications for a PhD project focused on the development of advanced stimuli-responsive materials based on liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) composites, leveraging cutting-edge additive manufacturing techniques. This research will explore the design and fabrication of multiscale, programmable materials with embedded optical functionalities, enabling precise and controllable actuation for next-generation adaptive systems.

The project centres on the formulation and characterisation of printable, thermally responsive LCE-based composites. Emphasis will be placed on understanding material printability, process compatibility, and structure–property relationships across different additive manufacturing platforms, including direct ink writing and two-photon polymerisation. 

A key component of the research is the investigation of stimulation strategies compatible with additive manufacturing. Both global (e.g., uniform thermal acti...