Electro-opto-mechanical effects in swollen polydomain side chain liquid crystal elastomers

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusril Yusuf ◽  
Shoichi Kai
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Mechanical Effects ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Main-chain liquid-crystal elastomers versus side-chain liquid-crystal elastomers: similarities and differences in their mechanical properties

Soft Matter ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (31) ◽  
pp. 6449-6462 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Rogez ◽  
S. Krause ◽  
P. Martinoty
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Poisson Ratio ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers

The shear and Young moduli, the poly-domain to mono-domain transition, the Poisson ratio and the supercritical or subcritical nature of main-chain and side-chain liquid-crystal elastomers are characterized with various mechanical experiments.

Experimental Studies of Thermo-Induced Mechanical Effects in the Main-Chain Liquid Crystal Elastomers

2014 ◽  
Vol 896 ◽  
pp. 322-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supardi ◽  
Harsojo ◽  
Yusril Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Critical Temperature ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Artificial Muscles ◽  
Direction Parallel ◽  
Mechanical Effects ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Heating Up ◽  
Contraction And Expansion

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), either side-chain LCEs (SCLCEs) or main-chain LCEs (MCLCEs), possess a combination of LC and elastic properties, and are expected to be used as artificial muscles. We experimentally investigated the thermo-induced mechanical effects showed by MCLCEs with four different crosslinker concentrations, i.e., 8%, 12%, 14% and 16%. The samples were heated up to the critical temperature and the images were recorded. The samples made the contraction in direction parallel to the director and the expansion in direction perpendicular to the director. Drastic changes occured when approaching the critical temperature, the greater the crosslinkers concentration the bigger the maximum contraction and expansion. The shape anisotropy expression showed that heating up to the critical temperature caused the system no longer in anisotropic state.

Characterization of Main-Chain Liquid Crystal Elastomers by Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Method

2015 ◽  
Vol 1123 ◽  
pp. 69-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supardi ◽  
Y. Yusuf ◽  
Harsoyo
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transition ◽  
Differential Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Basic Principle ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Mechanical Effects ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Dsc Method

We performed an experiment to characterize the four samples of main chain liquid crystal elastomers (MCLCEs) by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method. Basic principle of this method is that difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of the sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. The temperature between the sample and reference is maintained nearly the same throughout the experiment. There were four samples with different concentrations of crosslinker we have taken, namely 8%, 12%, 14%, and 16%. The results showed that the phase transition from nematic to isotropic obtained by this method had correlation with their thermo-mechanical effects.

scholarly journals Instabilities in liquid crystal elastomers

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Angela Mihai ◽  
Alain Goriely
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Nematic Liquid Crystal ◽  
Void Nucleation ◽  
Stochastic Methods ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Homogeneous State ◽  
Mechanical Effects ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
Constitutive Parameters

AbstractStability is an important and fruitful avenue of research for liquid crystal elastomers. At constant temperature, upon stretching, the homogeneous state of a nematic body becomes unstable, and alternating shear stripes develop at very low stress. Moreover, these materials can experience classical mechanical effects, such as necking, void nucleation and cavitation, and inflation instability, which are inherited from their polymeric network. We investigate the following two problems: First, how do instabilities in nematic bodies change from those found in purely elastic solids? Second, how are these phenomena modified if the material constants fluctuate? To answer these questions, we present a systematic study of instabilities occurring in nematic liquid crystal elastomers, and examine the contribution of the nematic component and of fluctuating model parameters that follow probability laws. This combined analysis may lead to more realistic estimations of subsequent mechanical damage in nematic solid materials. Because of their complex material responses in the presence of external stimuli, liquid crystal elastomers have many potential applications in science, manufacturing, and medical research. The modeling of these materials requires a multiphysics approach, linking traditional continuum mechanics with liquid crystal theory, and has led to the discovery of intriguing mechanical effects. An important problem for both applications and our fundamental understanding of nematic elastomers is their instability under large strains, as this can be harnessed for actuation, sensing, or patterning. The goal is then to identify parameter values at which a bifurcation emerges, and how these values change with external stimuli, such as temperature or loads. However, constitutive parameters of real manufactured materials have an inherent variation that should also be taken into account, thus the need to quantify uncertainties in physical responses, which can be done by combining the classical field theories with stochastic methods that enable the propagation of uncertainties from input data to output quantities of interest. The present study demonstrates how to characterize instabilities found in nematic liquid crystal elastomers with probabilistic material parameters at the macroscopic scale, and paves the way for a systematic theoretical and experimental study of these fascinating materials.

scholarly journals Effect of Isomeric Amine Chain Extenders and Crosslink Density on the Properties of Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3094
Author(s):  
Yoojin Lee ◽  
Subi Choi ◽  
Beom-Goo Kang ◽  
Suk-kyun Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Molecular Engineering ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Aerospace Medicine ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Chain Extenders ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Significant Attention

Among the various types of shape changing materials, liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have received significant attention as they can undergo programmed and reversible shape transformations. The molecular engineering of LCEs is the key to manipulating their phase transition, mechanical properties, and actuation performance. In this work, LCEs containing three different types of butyl groups (n-, iso-, and sec-butyl) in the side chain were synthesized, and the effect of isomeric amine chain extenders on the thermal, mechanical, and actuation properties of the resulting LCEs was investigated. Because of the considerably low reactivity of the sec-butyl group toward the diacrylate in the LC monomer, only a densely crosslinked LCE was synthesized. Most interestingly, the mechanical properties, actuation temperature, and blocking stress of the LCEs comprising isobutyl groups were higher than those of the LCEs comprising n-butyl groups. This difference was attributed to the presence of branches in the LCEs with isobutyl groups, which resulted in a tighter molecular packing and reduced the free volume. Our results suggest a facile and effective method for synthesizing LCEs with tailored mechanical and actuation properties by the choice of chain extenders, which may advance the development of soft actuators for a variety of applications in aerospace, medicine, and optics.

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