View article

Interfacing molecular photoswitches with liquid crystal polymers enables the amplification of their nanoscale motion into macroscopic shape transformations. Typically, the mechanism responsible for actuation involves light-induced molecular disorder. Here, we demonstrate that bistable hydrazones can drive (chiral) shape transformations in liquid crystal polymer networks, with photogenerated polymer shapes displaying a long-term stability that mirrors that of the switches. The mechanism involves a photoinduced buildup of tension in the polymer, with a negligible influence on the liquid crystalline order. Hydrazone-doped liquid crystal systems thus diversify the toolbox available to the field of light-adaptive molecular actuators and hold promise in terms of soft robotics.