Thermoviscoelasticity of polydomain liquid crystal elastomers regulated by soft elasticity
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866913115652751360 |
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| author | Wei, Zhengxuan Shen, Beijun Usmanova, Zumrat Bootwala, Umme Hani Bai, Ruobing |
| author_facet | Wei, Zhengxuan Shen, Beijun Usmanova, Zumrat Bootwala, Umme Hani Bai, Ruobing |
| contents | Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are elastomeric networks with rod-like mesogens that reorient under load. In polydomain LCEs, this reorientation drives a polydomain-to-monodomain transition that produces a soft-elastic plateau. Coupling between this soft elasticity and polymer-network viscoelasticity yields a path-dependent thermoviscoelastic response, central to applications in damping, impact protection, and tough adhesives. However, the physics governing this response under complex thermomechanical histories remains insufficiently studied. We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of polydomain LCEs under three uniaxial protocols: single-cycle loading-unloading, stress-free recovery from various pre-stretches, and multi-cycle loading with progressively increasing amplitude. We develop a finite-deformation constitutive model combining two parallel mechanisms: rate-independent, temperature-dependent soft elasticity from mesogen reorientation, and time- and temperature-dependent viscoelasticity. With a single parameter set, the model quantitatively reproduces all three protocols and resolves each mechanism's contribution. A temperature-dependent soft-elastic limit governs the low-rate response and the long-time recovered stretch, while viscoelasticity controls the rate-dependent deviation and the cycle-wise accumulation of residual stretch away from this limit. A thermal recovery test above the nematic-isotropic transition confirms that all hysteresis and residual deformation are reversible, ruling out irreversible damage. The framework provides mechanistic understanding and a predictive basis for designing polydomain LCE components under complex thermomechanical histories. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_11455 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Thermoviscoelasticity of polydomain liquid crystal elastomers regulated by soft elasticity Wei, Zhengxuan Shen, Beijun Usmanova, Zumrat Bootwala, Umme Hani Bai, Ruobing Soft Condensed Matter Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are elastomeric networks with rod-like mesogens that reorient under load. In polydomain LCEs, this reorientation drives a polydomain-to-monodomain transition that produces a soft-elastic plateau. Coupling between this soft elasticity and polymer-network viscoelasticity yields a path-dependent thermoviscoelastic response, central to applications in damping, impact protection, and tough adhesives. However, the physics governing this response under complex thermomechanical histories remains insufficiently studied. We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of polydomain LCEs under three uniaxial protocols: single-cycle loading-unloading, stress-free recovery from various pre-stretches, and multi-cycle loading with progressively increasing amplitude. We develop a finite-deformation constitutive model combining two parallel mechanisms: rate-independent, temperature-dependent soft elasticity from mesogen reorientation, and time- and temperature-dependent viscoelasticity. With a single parameter set, the model quantitatively reproduces all three protocols and resolves each mechanism's contribution. A temperature-dependent soft-elastic limit governs the low-rate response and the long-time recovered stretch, while viscoelasticity controls the rate-dependent deviation and the cycle-wise accumulation of residual stretch away from this limit. A thermal recovery test above the nematic-isotropic transition confirms that all hysteresis and residual deformation are reversible, ruling out irreversible damage. The framework provides mechanistic understanding and a predictive basis for designing polydomain LCE components under complex thermomechanical histories. |
| title | Thermoviscoelasticity of polydomain liquid crystal elastomers regulated by soft elasticity |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11455 |