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Updated: Feb 15, 2026
12:21
Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
Published on: February 6, 2016
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Sample preparation affects the nematic-isotropic transition in liquid crystal elastomers: insights from molecular
1Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. gregor.skacej@fmf.uni-lj.si.
Soft Matter
|February 2, 2018
Summary
Molecular simulations reveal that irregular sample preparation causes a smoother nematic-isotropic transition in liquid crystal elastomers due to quenched disorder. Swelling also impacts this transition.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit a nematic-isotropic transition crucial for applications like sensors and actuators.
- Understanding factors influencing this transition is key to optimizing LCE performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nematic-isotropic transition in LCEs using molecular simulations.
- To elucidate the roles of polymer network architecture and swelling in the transition behavior.
Main Methods:
- Isostress Monte Carlo simulations were employed on a swollen, crosslinked system.
- The system comprised soft-core Gay-Berne ellipsoids to model LCE behavior.
Main Results:
- Irregular sample preparation leads to quenched disorder, causing a distribution of local transition temperatures and a smoother overall transition.
- Strong swelling in LCEs can induce phase separation between the polymer network and swelling monomers, affecting the transition.
Conclusions:
- Sample preparation and swelling significantly influence the nematic-isotropic transition in LCEs.
- Quenched disorder and phase separation are identified as key mechanisms affecting transition smoothness and characteristics.
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