Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) exhibit strain-dependent photonic responses due to the deformation of their helical structures. While their mechanochromic properties are well-known, achieving precise, multi-mode deformation readout with ...
Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) exhibit strain-dependent photonic responses due to the deformation of their helical structures. While their mechanochromic properties are well-known, achieving precise, multi-mode deformation readout with standalone CLCE films is challenging due to boundary condition, strain uniformity, and integration constraints. This dissertation presents a substrate-assisted fabrication and sensing strategy that enables CLCEs to display multi-responsive mechanochromic behaviors, including broadband reversible color shifts, plastic deformation detection, and three-dimensional tomographic strain visualization. By integrating CLCE films onto polymer substrates via lamination or embedding, strain transfer was controlled to achieve accurate correlation between helical pitch modulation and optical response. Adjusting crosslink density with a monofunctional mesogen further enabled broadband, reversible mechanochromism, highlighting the substrate’s role in stabilizing cholesteric order while enhancing strain sensitivity. This substrate-assisted framework was extended to a tomographic strain indicator, where multilayered or spatially distributed CLCE elements embedded in elastomeric substrates allowed real-time 3D visualization of complex deformation fields solely via colorimetric readout. Additionally, a CLCE-based mechanosensitive patch was developed for detecting plastic deformation in commercial plastics. When laminated onto polymer substrates such as polyethylene and polycarbonate, irreversible spectral shifts distinguished permanent plastic strain from elastic deformation, providing a robust, non-destructive diagnostic method. Overall, this work establishes substrate-assisted processing as an effective strategy to unlock multi-responsive mechanochromic behavior in CLCEs. By integrating material design, interfacial mechanics, and device-level engineering, it provides a unified platform for CLCE-based optical sensors with broad applicability in soft robotics, structural diagnostics, and adaptive photonic systems.