5th International Liquid Crystal Elastomer Conference; Kent State University; Kent, OH; September 24-26,2009

技术概要：液晶弹性体（LCE）是具有重要科学和技术意义的新兴软材料。这些材料的大部分编写工作和以前关于这一主题的所有会议都是在欧洲举行的。拟议中的第五届国际液晶会议（5th ILCEC）将是第一个关于这一主题的美国会议。其目的是为美国年轻的研究人员提供机会，了解这个令人兴奋和有前途的领域，并参与LCE研究。 液晶弹性体是固体液晶;它们是具有取向顺序的交联橡胶网络。它们的显著特点是取向有序和机械应变之间的耦合。这种耦合提供了一种新的方式来改变取向顺序，从而通过机械应变来修改样品的光学和物理性质。相反，通过场或温度改变取向顺序会引起机械应变和样品形状的变化。前者允许机械可调装置，如橡胶激光器，而后者允许由光或蒸汽驱动的驱动致动器和光驱动电机的结构。这些材料的独特方面提出了艰巨的科学挑战。由于应变和取向序的耦合，应变无应力，或？柔软的弹性？已经预测了与LCE的介晶组分的重取向相关的。软弹性的理论障碍也已确定。人们已经进行了大量的实验观察，但对它们的解释仍然是一个有争议的话题，软弹性的问题仍然悬而未决。第五届国际液晶会议（5th ILCEC）将汇集来自不同学科和世界不同地区的研究人员，他们做出了重要的原创性贡献，并将促进对液晶弹性体（LCE）的科学技术和未来研究方向的突出问题进行非正式和深入的讨论。这次会议产生的相互作用和合作预计将导致迅速的科学进步，并为新的发现打开大门。拟议的会议还将通过以下方式产生更广泛的影响：（i）广泛传播科学成果;（ii）开发新的传感器、执行器和智能材料技术;（iii）对自适应/可调光学和光子学领域产生重大影响。一位演讲者将发表公开演讲：教授和著名的俄亥俄州科学家乔纳森塞林格将发言：？液晶与橡胶：结合科学领域的新技术？ 前沿课题的研究将鼓励和促进物理，化学和新弹性LC材料应用方面的劳动力培训。该提案寻求资金，以举办第一届美国液晶弹性体领域最新发展会议，并确定未来的研究方向。申请的NSF资金将用于支持学生和初级科学家以及代表性不足的群体的成员的参与。

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are emerging soft materials of great scientific and technological importance. Much of the development of these materials and all previous conferences on this topic have taken place in Europe. The proposed 5th International Liquid Crystal Conference (5th ILCEC) will be the first US Conference on this subject. Its aim is to provide young US researchers with the opportunity to learn about this exciting and promising field and to become involved in LCE research. Liquid crystal elastomers are solid liquid crystals; they are cross-linked rubber networks with orientational order. Their salient feature is the coupling between orientational order and mechanical strain. This coupling provides a new way of changing orientational order and hence modifying the optical and physical properties of samples by mechanical strain. Conversely, changing the orientational order via fields or temperature gives rise to mechanical strain and changes in sample shape. The former allows mechanically tunable devices, such as rubber lasers, while the latter allows the construction of driven actuators driven by light or vapors and of light driven motors. Unique aspects of these materials present formidable scientific challenges. Due to coupling of strain and orientational order, strain without stress, or ?soft elasticity?, associated with reorientation of the mesogenic constituents of LCEs has been predicted. Theoretical obstacles to soft elasticity have also been identified. A rich variety of experimental observations have been made, but their interpretation is still a topic of debate, and the question of soft elasticity remains open. NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The proposed 5th International Liquid Crystal Conference (5th ILCEC) will bring together researchers from different disciplines and different parts of the world who have made important original contributions, and will facilitate informal and in-depth discussion of the outstanding issues of science and technology and future research directions in liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). The interactions and collaborations resulting from this Conference are expected to lead to rapid scientific advances and to opening doors to new discoveries. The proposed Conference will also have a broader impact via: (i) extensive dissemination of scientific results; (ii) the development of new sensor, actuator and smart materials technologies; and (iii) significant impact on the fields of adaptive/tunable optics and photonics. One speaker will present a public lecture: Professor and Eminent Ohio Scientist Jonathan Selinger will speak on: ?Liquid Crystals and Rubber: Combining Scientific Fields for New Technologies?. Research on cutting edge topics will encourage and facilitate workforce training in physics, chemistry, and applications of new elastomeric LC materials. This proposal seeks funding to hold the first US Conference on recent developments in the field of Liquid Crystal Elastomers and identifying future research directions. The requested NSF funds will be used to support participation of students and junior scientists and members of underrepresented groups.