DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2002-10005-5
Dynamic soft elasticity in monodomain nematic elastomers
A. Hotta and E.M. TerentjevCavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK emt1000@cam.ac.uk
(Received 24 July 2002 / Published online: 29 April 2003)
Abstract
We study the linear dynamic-mechanical response of
monodomain nematic liquid crystalline elastomers under shear in
the geometry that allows the director rotation. The aspects of
time-temperature superposition are discussed at some length and
Master Curves are obtained between the glassy state and the
nematic transition temperature
. However, the
time-temperature superposition did not work through the clearing
point
, due to the transition from the "soft-elasticity"
nematic regime to the ordinary isotropic rubber response. We focus
on the low-frequency region of the Master Curves and establish the
power law dependence of the modulus
. This
law agrees very well with the results of static stress relaxation,
where each relaxation curve obeys the analogous power law
in the corresponding region of long times and
temperatures.
83.80.Va - Elastomeric polymers.
61.30.-v - Liquid crystals.
83.85.Vb - Small amplitude oscillatory shear (dynamic mechanical analysis).
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2003
