https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2006-10020-6
Regular Article
External field-induced switching in nematic elastomers: A Monte Carlo study
1
Dipartimento di Chimica Fisica ed Inorganica and INSTM, Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, I-40136, Bologna, Italy
2
Oddelek za fiziko, Univerza v Ljubljani, Jadranska 19, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* e-mail: gregor.skacej@fmf.uni-lj.si
Received:
7
January
2006
Accepted:
21
June
2006
Published online:
20
July
2006
We present a Monte Carlo study of external field-induced switching in nematic elastomers, employing a coarse-grained shearable lattice model. In large enough systems a full-wavelength Fréedericksz effect is observed --as opposed to the half-wavelength effect seen in ordinary nematics-- that clearly reflects in simulated polarized light textures, as well as in deuterium magnetic resonance spectra. The reorientation of mesogenic units is accompanied by pronounced shear deformations.
PACS: 61.30.Vx Polymer liquid crystals – / 61.30.Cz Molecular and microscopic models and theories of liquid crystal structure – / 61.41.+e Polymers, elastomers, and plastics –
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2006
