Development of a self-sustained chaotic stirrer with electrothermal response liquid crystal elastomers

Chaotic systems, characterized by their unique nonlinear dynamical properties, have demonstrated significant potential in the field of fluid mixing and stirring. However, existing chaotic machines often rely on external control to achieve target motions, lacking autonomous regulation through physical intelligence. To overcome this constraint, the research introduces a self-sustained chaotic stirrer based on electrothermal responsive liquid crystal elastomers. The system consists of a stirring ball and three liquid crystal elastomer fibers. By incorporating the nonlinear feedback mechanism, the non-periodic expansion and shrinkage of liquid crystal elastomer fibers are induced by electrothermal stimulation to compensate the energy dissipation of the system, thereby achieving self-sustained stirring functionality. A dynamic model of the chaotic stirrer is constructed, and its governing equations are derived. Numerical simulations reveal two distinct self-sustained motion patterns: periodic oscillation and chaotic motion. The effects of various parameters on stirring behavior are systematically investigated to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the transformation of two motion patterns. This chaotic stirrer overcomes the limitation of single motion patterns in traditional stirrers, enhancing stirring efficiency. This research not only deepens the understanding of the application of chaos theory in stirring systems, but also provides new ideas for the development of high-efficiency stirrers based on self-sustained chaos.