Numerical study of light-induced phase behavior of smectic solids

By the chemical cross-linking of rigid molecules, liquid crystal polymer (LCP) has been envisaged as a novel heterogeneous material due to the fact that various optical and geometric states of the liquid crystalline (LC) phases are projected onto the polymeric constituents. The phase behavior, which refers to the macroscopic shape change of LCP under thermotropic phase change, is a compelling example of such optical-mechanical coupling. In this study, the photomechanical behavior, which broadly refers to the thermal- or light-induced actuation of smectic solids, is investigated using three-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA). First, the various phases of LC are considered as well as their relation to polymeric conformation defined by the strain energy of the smectic polymer; a comprehensive constitutive equation that bridges the strong, optomechanical coupling is then derived. Such photomechanical coupling is incorporated in the FEA considering geometric nonlinearity, which is vital to understanding the large-scale light-induced bending behavior of the smectic solid.To demonstrate the simulation capability of the present model, numerous examples of photomechanical deformations are investigated parametrically, either by changing the operating conditions such as stimuli (postsynthesis) or the intrinsic properties (presynthesis). When compared to nematic solids, distinguished behaviors due to smectic substances are found herein and discussed through experiments. The quasisoftness that bidirectionally couples microscopic variables to mechanical behavior is also explained, while considering the effect of nonlinearity. In addition to providing a comprehensive measure that could deepen the knowledge of photomechanical coupling, the use of the proposed finite element framework offers an insight into the design of light-responsive actuating systems made of smectic solids.