Liquid crystal H-bonded polymer networks under mechanical stress

The orientation behavior of liquid crystal networks having the SM C-A structure stabilized by H-bonds has been studied. The mesogenic groups formed by hydrogen bonds generate a layered structure of the polymer. The hydrogen bonds are responsible for the elastic properties of the liquid crystal polymer network and the mechanism of its plastic flow above the threshold strain. The mechanical response is interpreted in terms of the mechanism of breaking and reconnecting H-bonds under stress. The local sliding of layers is possible if H-bonds are temporarily disconnected and then reconnected again to restore the LC structure. The anisotropy of the mechanical properties of the H-bonded polymer materials is observed in the monodomain LC networks.