Real-Time Alignment and Reorientation of Polymer Chains in Liquid Crystal Elastomers
Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit soft elasticity due to the alignment and reorientation of mesogens upon mechanical loading, which provides additional mechanisms to absorb and dissipate energy. This enhanced response makes LCEs potentially transformative materials for biomedical devices, tissue replacements, and protective equipment. However, there is a critical knowledge gap in understanding the highly rate-dependent dissipative behaviors of LCEs due to the lack of real-time characterization techniques that probe the microscale network structure and link it to the mechanical deformation of LCEs. In this work, we employ in situ optical measurements to evaluate the alignment and reorientation degree of mesogens in LCEs. The data are correlated to the quantitative physical analysis using polarized Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The time scale of mesogen alignment is determined at different strain levels and loading rates. The mesogen reorientation kinetics is characterized to establish its relationship with the macroscale tensile strain, and compared to theoretical predictions. Overall, this work provides the first detailed study on the time-dependent evolution of mesogen alignment and reorientation in deformed LCEs. It also provides an effective and more accessible approach for other researchers to investigate the structural-property relationships of different types of polymers.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Colorado, Denver, CO (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1838186
- Report Number(s):
- SAND2021-15896J
Journal ID: ISSN 1944-8244; 702353
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0003525; CMMI-204661
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 14; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1944-8244
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; mesogen alignment; reorientation; polarized optimal measurements; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy; liquid crystal elastomer; real-time characterization
Citation Formats
Luo, Chaoqian, Chung, Christopher, Yakacki, Christopher M., Long, Kevin, and Yu, Kai. Real-Time Alignment and Reorientation of Polymer Chains in Liquid Crystal Elastomers. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1021/acsami.1c20082.
Luo, Chaoqian, Chung, Christopher, Yakacki, Christopher M., Long, Kevin, & Yu, Kai. Real-Time Alignment and Reorientation of Polymer Chains in Liquid Crystal Elastomers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c20082
Luo, Chaoqian, Chung, Christopher, Yakacki, Christopher M., Long, Kevin, and Yu, Kai. Tue .
"Real-Time Alignment and Reorientation of Polymer Chains in Liquid Crystal Elastomers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.1c20082. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1838186.
@article{osti_1838186,
title = {Real-Time Alignment and Reorientation of Polymer Chains in Liquid Crystal Elastomers},
author = {Luo, Chaoqian and Chung, Christopher and Yakacki, Christopher M. and Long, Kevin and Yu, Kai},
abstractNote = {Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit soft elasticity due to the alignment and reorientation of mesogens upon mechanical loading, which provides additional mechanisms to absorb and dissipate energy. This enhanced response makes LCEs potentially transformative materials for biomedical devices, tissue replacements, and protective equipment. However, there is a critical knowledge gap in understanding the highly rate-dependent dissipative behaviors of LCEs due to the lack of real-time characterization techniques that probe the microscale network structure and link it to the mechanical deformation of LCEs. In this work, we employ in situ optical measurements to evaluate the alignment and reorientation degree of mesogens in LCEs. The data are correlated to the quantitative physical analysis using polarized Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The time scale of mesogen alignment is determined at different strain levels and loading rates. The mesogen reorientation kinetics is characterized to establish its relationship with the macroscale tensile strain, and compared to theoretical predictions. Overall, this work provides the first detailed study on the time-dependent evolution of mesogen alignment and reorientation in deformed LCEs. It also provides an effective and more accessible approach for other researchers to investigate the structural-property relationships of different types of polymers.},
doi = {10.1021/acsami.1c20082},
journal = {ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces},
number = 1,
volume = 14,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 21 00:00:00 EST 2021},
month = {Tue Dec 21 00:00:00 EST 2021}
}
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