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ABSTRACT
We developed photo-healable composite gels consisting of liquid crystal, microparticles, and gold nanorods. Upon irradiation with near-infrared light, the temperature of the composite gels rapidly increased above a gel-sol transition temperature by the photothermal effect of gold nanorods. Then, we successfully performed photoinduced gel-sol transition of composite gels based on the phase transition of liquid crystals induced by the photothermal effect. In addition, we achieved photo-healing of surface cracks made on the composite gels by means of the photothermal gel-sol transition.