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Mechanical anisotropy in compressive-stress shape-programmed liquid crystal elastomers and polymer-dispersed liquid crystal elastomer composites
Marta Lavrič, Luka Racman Knez and Andraž Rešetič, in collaboration with Valentina Domenici (Università degli studi di Pisa), have published an article entitled “Mechanical anisotropy in compressive-stress shape-programmed liquid crystal elastomers and polymer-dispersed liquid crystal elastomer composites” in the Nature Portfolio journal Soft Matter. This article provides insight into the mechanical properties of liquid crystal elastomers and polymer-dispersed liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) composites (PDLCEs) with a high-temperature persistent glass phase. It specifically focuses on compressive programming, which induces transverse mechanical anisotropy and a mesogen configuration with a negative order parameter. Directional stress–strain and thermomechanical tests reveal that, despite the elastic matrix, PDLCEs retain mechanical properties comparable to pure LCEs, highlighting the role of mechanical anisotropy together with inclusion alignment and geometry. The degree of mesogen ordering is evaluated in LCEs, while a modified Halpin–Tsai model captures the mechanical response of PDLCEs.
