A computational model for domain structure evolution of nematic liquid crystal elastomers

摘要

Liquid crystal elastomers combine both liquid crystals and polymers, which gives rise to many fascinating properties, such as unparalleled elastic anisotropy, photo-mechanics and flexoelectric behavior. The potential applications for these materials widely range from wings for micro-air vehicles to reversible adhesion skins for mobile climbing robots. However, significant challenges remain to understand the rich range of microstructure evolution exibited by these materials. This paper presents a model for domain structure evolution within the Ginzburg-Landau framework. The free energy consists of two parts: the distortion energy introduced by Ericksen [1] and a Landau energy. The finite element method has been implemented to solve the governing equations developed. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the microstructure evolution.