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

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 activation) and localised approaches (e.g., resistive heating, embedded infrared optical fibres, and spatially addressable activation zones) will be explored. 

The research will further exploit additive manufacturing to engineer material architectures across multiple scales. This includes the control of fibre and filament orientation, graded and voxel-level material distributions, and the integration of geometric design paradigms such as Kirigami, Origami, and lattice structures. These approaches will enable the development of highly tailored, anisotropic materials capable of complex and programmable shape transformations.

The PhD will address critical challenges in the field, including the integration of multifunctional components, the scalability of high-resolution fabrication techniques, and the durability of repeated actuation cycles. The outcomes of this work have potential applications in soft robotics, biomedical devices, adaptive optics, and defence systems requiring lightweight and responsive materials.

Host institution and Supervision

• Location: UTBM, Sevenans Campus, France
• Supervisors: Prof. Frédéric Demoly, Dr. Théo Calais and Dr. Johnny Moughames

Objectives

1. Develop and characterise thermally responsive, printable liquid crystal elastomer composite formulations.
2. Investigate and compare global and localised stimulation strategies, including embedded optical fibre systems, to optimise actuation performance.
3. Design and fabricate multiscale architectures using additive manufacturing, leveraging fibre orientation, graded materials, and geometric concepts (e.g., Kirigami, Origami, lattices) to achieve programmable and high-performance shape transformations.

ICB UMR 6303 CNRS lab at Belfort-Montbéliard University of Technology is composed of six research departments in which CO2M department – leads research efforts on design, modeling and optimization of mechanical systems. In such a department, three issues are currently addressed:

• Mechanical modeling and optimization.
• Manufacturing processes and techniques optimization.
• Advanced design of mechanical systems.

Expected profile

• Education: Master’s degree or Engineering degree in Materials science, polymer science mechanical engineering, additive manufacturing or soft robotics.
• Technical skills: Material processing, additive manufacturing, characterisation, functional testing.
• Soft skills: Autonomy, curiosity, creativity, and strong problem-solving abilities.
• Language: Proficiency in English (written and spoken).