EFFECT OF CROSSLINKED TOPOLOGY ON SHAPE MEMORY OF LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE ELASTOMERS

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Liquid-crystalline elastomers have attracted both industrial and scientific interests because of their shape memory effect caused by rubber elasticity with anisotropic molecular alignment of liquid crystalline phases. In this study, we have focused on chiral smectic C (SmC*) elastomers because of their additional structures and properties such as the helical structure and ferroelectricity owing to their chirality and local C2 symmetry. The stimuli-responsive behavior, such as the biaxial shape memory effect in thermo-mechanical responses, the electric response to mechanical excitation due to the piezoelectric and electroclinic effects, and twist deformation during the SmC*-SmA transformation, have been investigated. Additionally, we report chiral mechanical coupling between tilt and twist in SmC* elastomers.