Issue 31, 2018

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

Abstract

After a general introduction on the main aspects of the mechanical properties of main-chain liquid-crystal elastomers (MCLCEs) and side-chain liquid-crystal elastomers (SCLCEs), new results will be presented dealing with several MCLCEs with a cross-linker density C = 8%, 6% and 4% and with a SCLCE with C = 10%, all prepared by the two-step cross-linking process. A non-SCLCE with bulky side-groups similar in shape to the mesogens was also synthesized for comparison with the SCLCE. Most of the experiments were performed with a piezorheometer allowing the determination of the shear anisotropy of the samples by applying shear in a direction parallel Image ID:c8sm00936h-t1.gif or perpendicular Image ID:c8sm00936h-t2.gif to the director, and with a thermo-elastic device for the E measurements. The main results concern: (a) the influence of the supercritical nature of SCLCE and the subcritical nature of MCLCEs on the mechanical properties of these elastomers, as well as that of SmC domains present in MCLCEs; (b) the relationship between the degrees of elongation and of anisotropy deduced from the variations of Image ID:c8sm00936h-t3.gif and Image ID:c8sm00936h-t4.gif during the poly-domain to mono-domain transition of the 10% SCLCE and the 8% MCLCE; (c) the determination of the Poisson's ratio showing that it is isotropic for the non-SCLCE, with a crossover between 0.5 (classical value for rubbers) for small strains and 0.38 for high strains, and anisotropic for the 10% SCLCE and 8% MCLCE, with values <0.5. The particular behaviors of the Poisson's ratios can be explained by confinement effects occurring when stretching increases.

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

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 May 2018
Accepted
07 Jul 2018
First published
11 Jul 2018

Soft Matter, 2018,14, 6449-6462

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

D. Rogez, S. Krause and P. Martinoty, Soft Matter, 2018, 14, 6449 DOI: 10.1039/C8SM00936H

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