Abstract
A family of acrylate-based isotropic Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) exhibit stress- and strain-optic coefficients orders of magnitude greater than conventional polymeric and photoelastic material...
Highlights
IntroductionTheir inherent anisotropy leads to a variety of unique properties, including switchable geometries and soft elasticity
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are remarkably responsive and biosimilar materials
We examined the phase behaviors of each LCE precursor optically and via Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) scans performed between 0 and 50 °C
Summary
Their inherent anisotropy leads to a variety of unique properties, including switchable geometries and soft elasticity These outstanding features of LCEs have resulted in many exciting proposed applications, including photoactuated microrobots, novel chemical sensors, substrates for flexible electronics, and variable irises to name but a few.[1−4] recently, some LCEs were found to exhibit negative Poisson’s ratio, making them the first synthetic molecular auxetics.[5] Despite their wide range of possible applications, LCEs have rarely been considered as optical strain sensors. Photoelasticity, which can map stresses and strains via the photoelastic effect, offers instantaneous and direct measurement of stress and strain distributions across complex physical objects and devices.[11−13] Examples include the use of transmission photoelasticity to determine how stresses percolates through masonry walls modeled by transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) bricks and reflection photoelasticity to study the deformations of masonry columns and even dental prosthetics in vivo.[14−16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
