Skip to main content
Log in

Response of prestretched nematic elastomers to external fields

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal E Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We investigate the response of prestretched nematic side-chain liquid single-crystal elastomers to superimposed external shear, electric, and magnetic fields of small amplitude. The prestretching direction is oriented perpendicular to the initial nematic director orientation, which enforces director reorientation. Furthermore, the shear plane contains the direction of prestretch. In this case, we obtain a strongly decreased effective shear modulus in the vicinity of the onset and the completion of the enforced director rotation. For the same regions, we find that it becomes comparatively easy to reorient the director by external electric and magnetic fields. These results were derived using conventional elasticity theory and its coupling to relative director-network rotations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. H. Finkelmann, H.-J. Kock, G. Rehage, Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun. 2, 317 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. H.R. Brand, K. Kawasaki, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 15, 251 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. D.-U. Cho, Y. Yusuf, P.E. Cladis, H.R. Brand, H. Finkelmann, S. Kai, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 46, 1106 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. J. Küpfer, H. Finkelmann, Makromol. Chem., Rapid Commun. 12, 717 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. J. Küpfer, H. Finkelmann, Macromol. Chem. Phys. 195, 1353 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. K. Urayama, S. Honda, T. Takigawa, Macromolecules 38, 3574 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. I. Kundler, H. Finkelmann, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 16, 679 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. I. Kundler, H. Finkelmann, Macromol. Chem. Phys. 199, 677 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. K. Urayama, R. Mashita, I. Kobayashi, T. Takigawa, Macromolecules 40, 7665 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Y. Yusuf, J.H. Huh, P.E. Cladis, H.R. Brand, H. Finkelmann, S. Kai, Phys. Rev. E 71, 061702 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. K. Urayama, S. Honda, T. Takigawa, Macromolecules 39, 1943 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. P. Stein, N. Aßfalg, H. Finkelmann, P. Martinoty, Eur. Phys. J. E 4, 255 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. P. Martinoty, P. Stein, H. Finkelmann, H. Pleiner, H.R. Brand, Eur. Phys. J. E 14, 311 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. D. Rogez, G. Francius, H. Finkelmann, P. Martinoty, Eur. Phys. J. E 20, 369 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. P. Martinoty, presentation at the International Liquid Crystal Elastomer Conference, Ljubljana, 2007.

  16. A. Petelin, M. Čopič, presentations at the European Conference on Liquid Crystals, Colmar, 2009.

  17. A.M. Menzel, H. Pleiner, H.R. Brand, J. Appl. Phys. 105, 013503 (2009).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. P.G. de Gennes, in Liquid Crystals of One- and Two-Dimensional Order, edited by W. Helfrich, G. Heppke (Springer, Berlin, 1980), pp. 231 ff.

    Google Scholar 

  19. H.R. Brand, H. Pleiner, Physica A 208, 359 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. H. Temmen, H. Pleiner, M. Liu, H.R. Brand, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3228 (2000).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. P.G. de Gennes, J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  22. A.M. Menzel, H. Pleiner, H.R. Brand, J. Chem. Phys. 126, 234901 (2007).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. T.C. Lubensky, remarks at the International Liquid Crystal Elastomer Conference, Ljubljana, 2007.

  24. F.F. Ye, T.C. Lubensky, J. Phys. Chem. B 113, 3853 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. J.S. Biggins, E.M. Terentjev, M. Warner, Phys. Rev. E 78, 041704 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. M. Warner, E.M. Terentjev, Liquid Crystal Elastomers (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2003) and references therein.

    Google Scholar 

  27. L. Golubović, T.C. Lubensky, Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 1082 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. T.C. Lubensky, R. Mukhopadhyay, L. Radzihovsky, X. Xing, Phys. Rev. E 66, 011702 (2002).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. A. Fukunaga, K. Urayama, T. Takigawa, A. DeSimone, L. Teresi, Macromolecules 41, 9389 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. R. Zentel, Liq. Cryst. 1, 589 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Y. Yusuf, Y. Sumisaki, S. Kai, Chem. Phys. Lett. 382, 198 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. Y. Yu, T. Ikeda, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 45, 5416 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. M. Menzel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Menzel, A.M., Pleiner, H. & Brand, H.R. Response of prestretched nematic elastomers to external fields. Eur. Phys. J. E 30, 371 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2009-10535-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2009-10535-2

Keywords

Navigation