Nematic liquid crystalline elastomers are aeolotropic materials

Continuum models describing ideal nematic solids are widely used in theoretical studies of liquid crystal elastomers. However, experiments on nematic elastomers show a type of anisotropic response that is not predicted by the ideal models. Therefore, their description requires an additional term coupling elastic and nematic responses, to account for aeolotropic effects. In order to better understand the observed elastic response of liquid crystal elastomers, we analyse theoretically and computationally different stretch and shear deformations. We then compare the elastic moduli in the infinitesimal elastic strain limit obtained from the molecular dynamics simulations with the ones derived theoretically, and show that they are better explained by including nematic order effects within the continuum framework.

Automated summary

Experiments on nematic elastomers have shown an anisotropic response that is not predicted by ideal models, requiring an additional term in their description. By analyzing different deformations theoretically and computationally, it was found that the elastic response of liquid crystal elastomers can be better explained by including nematic order effects within the continuum framework. Comparing elastic moduli obtained from molecular dynamics simulations with theoretical results supports this conclusion.