Fibers are clad with a responsive liquid crystal material and a polymer. The clad fibers may be useful for advanced textiles and wearable sensors.

The present invention relates to an actuator that has a specific structure, and is molded from a resin composition, in which the resin composition contains a liquid crystal polyester having a specific repeating unit and a filling material, an amount of the repeating unit including a 2,6-naphthylene group is 40 mol % or more with respect to a total number of moles of all repeating units configuring the liquid crystal polyester, and an amount of the filling material is less than 55 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the liquid crystal polyester and the filling material.

Provided are a liquid crystal polyester resin composition and a liquid crystal polyester fiber both capable of suppressing gas generation during melt-heating as well as producing a molded body of good quality with few bubbles. The liquid crystal polyester resin composition includes a liquid crystal polyester and at least one metallic element selected from the group consisting of metallic elements belonging to from Group 8 to Group 11 in Periodic Table. The liquid crystal polyester fiber includes the liquid crystal polyester resin composition. For example, the liquid crystal polyester fiber may have a total amount of carboxy end groups (total CEG amount) of 5.0 mEq/kg or less.

A method for manufacturing a fiber mat includes: dispersing a fine fiber having thermoplasticity in a dispersion medium; extracting the fine fiber from the dispersion medium onto the support to form a mat; and applying light to a first main surface of the mat so as to fusion-bond the fine fiber located on the first main surface side of the mat, the first main surface being opposite to the support.

A porous body containing a liquid crystal polymer powder that has liquid crystal polymer fibers, wherein an average size of the liquid crystal polymer fibers is 2 ?m or less, the porous body has an average pore size of 10 ?m or less as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry, and the porous body has a tensile strength of 25 N/mm.sup.2 or more.

A liquid crystal polyester composition containing a liquid crystal polyester, a fibrous filler having a number average fiber diameter of at least 15 m but not more than 25 m, and a plate-like filler is provided. The total amount of the fibrous filler and the plate-like filler is at least 65 parts by mass but not more than 105 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the liquid crystal polyester.

A resin composition for solid freeform fabrication includes one or more thermoplastic resins containing a liquid crystal resin having a content rate of from 0.5 to 40 percent by mass to the one or more thermoplastic resins.

In various embodiments, the present application provides electrically conductive metal-plated fibers and continuous processes of preparing metal-plated fibers. Additionally, provided are polymeric articles comprising the provided metal-plated fibers or other fibers prepared by the provided process, said articles having electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness.

The present invention relates to an actuator that has a specific structure, and is molded from a resin composition, in which the resin composition contains a liquid crystal polyester having a specific repeating unit and a filling material, an amount of the repeating unit including a 2,6-naphthylene group is 40 mol % or more with respect to a total number of moles of all repeating units configuring the liquid crystal polyester, and an amount of the filling material is less than 55 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total amount of the liquid crystal polyester and the filling material.

Liquid Crystal Elastomer (LCE) fibers, an apparatus for manufacturing, and a method for using the apparatus are provided. LCE fibers formed from each of a plurality of resin recipes can undergo reversible temperature driven actuation of the fiber. Each of the resin recipes forms a fiber having a different actuation temperature. The apparatus includes: an extrusion device, a drawing bobbin, a coating basin, a collector bobbin, a first plurality of curing devices, and a second plurality of curing devices, to transform a resin recipe into a LCE fiber. In operation, the extrusion device extrudes the resin through to the first plurality of curing devices for a partial cure. Once in contact with drawing bobbin the resin is coated in a fluid, and then pull through the second plurality of curing devices for a final cure by collector bobbin, where it can be collected and post-processed.