Reversible adhesion damping tapes based on layers of liquid crystalline elastomer

Liquid crystalline elastomers have remarkable vibration damping properties, and the associated surface pressure-sensitive adhesion. The underlying physics relies on the added rotational degrees of freedom, presenting as the nematic director on macroscopic scale or as mobile rod-like mesogens on microscopic scale. The vibrational deformations in the material lose up to 97% of their energy into these rotational modes, resulting in an anomalously high mechanical loss factor in the material. Our analysis and tests established a direct relationship between this loss factor, and the strength of pressure-sensitive adhesion. As this adhesion is entirely based on the physical energy-damping mechanism, there is no chemical residue - nor degradation of the surface properties, suggesting the applicationj as truly reversible self-adhesive 'vibration damping tape' where the reversibility arises on entering and leaving the nematic LC state on heating/cooling. After developing a large library of new materials under ERC AdG 786659, we want to scale up for the industrial application of LCEs as damping adhesive tapes. The science is clear, and is in open press, but the challenge now is to make the transition to industry. For that we work closely with Lohman Tapes Group GmbH in Germany, and a startup Cambridge Smart Plastics Ltd, with the goal to: [a] complete the R&D stage of the tape product for specific Lohmann process and applications, and [b] establish a pilot plant in Brightlands Chemelot incubator campus in The Netherlands, that would work directly with the enduser
industries.