Molecular simulations elucidate electric field actuation in swollen liquid crystal elastomers.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 22679288.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.1121235109 and PMC identifier 3387105.
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Abstract
Swollen elastomer liquid crystals undergo significant deformations by application of an electric field perpendicular to their alignment axis, as shown in experiments by Urayama et al. [Urayama K, Honda S, Takigawa T (2006) Macromolecules 39:1943-1949]. Here we clarify this surprising effect at the molecular level using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of an off-lattice model based on a soft Gay-Berne potential. We provide the internal change of molecular organization, as well as the key observables during the actuation cycle.