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Mechanotropic Elastomers.

Brian R Donovan1, Hayden E Fowler1, Valentina M Matavulj2

  • 1University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 596 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|June 21, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mechanotropic phase transitions in elastomers induce mesogen reorientation, enhancing toughness by 1300%. Unlike liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), these isotropic materials exhibit rapid recovery after deformation, showcasing unique mechanical properties.

Keywords:
liquid crystal elastomersliquid crystalsphotopolymerizationrubber elasticitytoughness

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Science
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanics of Materials

Background:

  • Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are anisotropic polymers with mesogens that reorient under stress, causing soft elasticity.
  • Understanding mechanotropic responses in elastomers with mesogenic content is crucial for advanced material design.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate mechanotropic phase transitions in elastomers with significant mesogenic content.
  • To compare the behavior of these elastomers to polydomain LCEs.
  • To evaluate the impact of mechanotropic orientation on material toughness and recovery.

Main Methods:

  • Mechanical loading of elastomers with mesogenic content.
  • Observation of mesogen reorientation using birefringence and X-ray diffraction.
  • Comparison of stress-strain response and post-deformation recovery with polydomain LCEs.

Main Results:

  • Isotropic elastomers with mesogens showed significant directional orientation upon loading, confirmed by birefringence and X-ray diffraction.
  • These elastomers exhibited nonlinear stress-strain behavior and rapid recovery after deformation.
  • Mechanotropic orientation of mesogens increased the toughness of thiol-ene photopolymers by approximately 1300% compared to isotropic precursors.

Conclusions:

  • Elastomers with mesogenic content exhibit unique mechanotropic phase transitions and nonlinear mechanical responses.
  • These materials demonstrate superior toughness and rapid recovery, distinguishing them from polydomain LCEs.
  • The study highlights the potential of controlled mesogen orientation for developing high-performance photopolymers.