292 research outputs found
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal elastomers
The need for mechanical manipulation during the curing of conventional liquid crystal elastomers diminishes their applicability in the field of shape-programmable soft materials and future applications in additive manufacturing. Here we report on polymer-dispersed liquid crystal elastomers, novel composite materials that eliminate this difficulty. Their thermal shape memory anisotropy is imprinted by curing in external magnetic field, providing for conventional moulding of macroscopically sized soft, thermomechanically active elastic objects of general shapes. The binary soft-soft composition of isotropic elastomer matrix, filled with freeze-fracture-fabricated, oriented liquid crystal elastomer microparticles as colloidal inclusions, allows for fine-tuning of thermal morphing behaviour. This is accomplished by adjusting the concentration, spatial distribution and orientation of microparticles or using blends of microparticles with different thermomechanical characteristics. We demonstrate that any Gaussian thermomechanical deformation mode (bend, cup, saddle, left and right twist) of a planar sample, as well as beat-like actuation, is attainable with bilayer microparticle configurations
Tunability of the elastocaloric response in main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers
Materials exhibiting a large caloric effect could lead to the development of a new generation of heat-management technologies that will have better energy efficiency and be potentially more environmentally friendly. The focus of caloric materials investigations has shifted recently from solid-state materials towards soft materials, such as liquid crystals and liquid crystalline elastomers. It has been shown recently that a large electrocaloric effect exceeding 6 K can be observed in smectic liquid crystals. Here, we report on a significant elastocaloric response observed by direct elastocaloric measurements in main-chain liquid crystal elastomers. It is demonstrated that the character of the nematic to paranematic/isotropic transition can be tuned from the supercritical regime towards the first-order regime, by decreasing the density of crosslinkers. In the latter case, the latent heat additionally enhances the elastocaloric response. Our results indicate that a significant elastocaloric response is present in main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers, driven by stress fields much smaller than in solid elastocaloric materials. Therefore, elastocaloric soft materials can potentially play a significant role as active cooling/heating elements in the development of new heat-management devices
Rich polymorphism of a rod-like liquid crystal (8CB) confined in two types of unidirectional nanopores
We present a neutron and X-rays scattering study of the phase transitions of
4-n-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) confined in unidirectional nanopores of porous
alumina and porous silicon (PSi) membranes with an average diameter of 30 nm.
Spatial confinement reveals a rich polymorphism, with at least four different
low temperature phases in addition to the smectic A phase. The structural study
as a function of thermal treatments and conditions of spatial confinement
allows us to get insights into the formation of these phases and their relative
stability. It gives the first description of the complete phase behavior of 8CB
confined in PSi and provides a direct comparison with results obtained in bulk
conditions and in similar geometric conditions of confinement but with reduced
quenched disorder effects using alumina anopore membranesComment: Accepted in EPJ E - Soft Matte
Dynamics of ferroelectric nano cluster in BaTiO3 observed as a real time correlation between two soft X-ray laser pulses
We carry out a theoretical investigation to clarify the dynamic property of
photo-created nano-sized ferroelectric cluster observed in the paraelectric
BaTiO3 as a real time correlation of speckle pattern between two soft X-ray
laser pulses, at just above the paraelectric-ferroelectric phase transition
temperature. Based on a model with coupled soft X-ray photon and ferroelectric
phonon mode, we study the time dependence of scattering probability by using a
perturbative expansion approach. The cluster-associated phonon softening as
well as central peak effects are well reproduced in the phonon spectral
function via quantum Monte Carlo simulation. Besides, it is found that the time
dependence of speckle correlation is determined by the relaxation dynamics of
ferroelectric clusters. Near the transition point, cluster excitation is
stable, leading to a long relaxation time. While, at high temperature, cluster
structure is subject to the thermal fluctuation, ending up with a short
relaxation time.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
HMG-CoA reductase is regulated by environmental salinity and its activity is essential for halotolerance in halophilic fungi
The activity and level of HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) were addressed in
halophilic fungi isolated from solar saltpans. Representative fungi belonging
to the orders Dothideales, Eurotiales and Wallemiales have a
specific pattern of HMGR regulation, which differs from salt-sensitive and
moderately salt-tolerant yeasts. In all of the halophilic fungi studied, HMGR
amounts and activities were the lowest at optimal growth salinity and
increased under hyposaline and hypersaline conditions. This profile paralleled
isoprenylation of cellular proteins in H. werneckii. Inhibition of
HMGR in vivo by lovastatin impaired the halotolerant character. HMGR
may thus serve as an important molecular marker of halotolerance
A new picture of the Lifshitz critical behavior
New field theoretic renormalization group methods are developed to describe
in a unified fashion the critical exponents of an m-fold Lifshitz point at the
two-loop order in the anisotropic (m not equal to d) and isotropic (m=d close
to 8) situations. The general theory is illustrated for the N-vector phi^4
model describing a d-dimensional system. A new regularization and
renormalization procedure is presented for both types of Lifshitz behavior. The
anisotropic cases are formulated with two independent renormalization group
transformations. The description of the isotropic behavior requires only one
type of renormalization group transformation. We point out the conceptual
advantages implicit in this picture and show how this framework is related to
other previous renormalization group treatments for the Lifshitz problem. The
Feynman diagrams of arbitrary loop-order can be performed analytically provided
these integrals are considered to be homogeneous functions of the external
momenta scales. The anisotropic universality class (N,d,m) reduces easily to
the Ising-like (N,d) when m=0. We show that the isotropic universality class
(N,m) when m is close to 8 cannot be obtained from the anisotropic one in the
limit d --> m near 8. The exponents for the uniaxial case d=3, N=m=1 are in
good agreement with recent Monte Carlo simulations for the ANNNI model.Comment: 48 pages, no figures, two typos fixe
Age-related changes in global motion coherence: conflicting haemodynamic and perceptual responses
Our aim was to use both behavioural and neuroimaging data to identify indicators of perceptual decline in motion processing. We employed a global motion coherence task and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Healthy adults (n = 72, 18-85) were recruited into the following groups: young (n = 28, mean age = 28), middle-aged (n = 22, mean age = 50), and older adults (n = 23, mean age = 70). Participants were assessed on their motion coherence thresholds at 3 different speeds using a psychophysical design. As expected, we report age group differences in motion processing as demonstrated by higher motion coherence thresholds in older adults. Crucially, we add correlational data showing that global motion perception declines linearly as a function of age. The associated fNIRS recordings provide a clear physiological correlate of global motion perception. The crux of this study lies in the robust linear correlation between age and haemodynamic response for both measures of oxygenation. We hypothesise that there is an increase in neural recruitment, necessitating an increase in metabolic need and blood flow, which presents as a higher oxygenated haemoglobin response. We report age-related changes in motion perception with poorer behavioural performance (high motion coherence thresholds) associated with an increased haemodynamic response
Adaptation of extremely halotolerant black yeast Hortaea werneckii to increased osmolarity: a molecular perspective at a glance
Halophilic adaptations have been studied almost exclusively on prokaryotic
microorganisms. Discovery of the black yeast Hortaea werneckii as the
dominant fungal species in hypersaline waters enabled the introduction of a
new model organism to study the mechanisms of salt tolerance in eukaryotes.
Its strategies of cellular osmotic adaptations on the physiological and
molecular level revealed novel, intricate mechanisms to combat fluctuating
salinity. H. werneckii is an extremely halotolerant eukaryotic
microorganism and thus a promising source of transgenes for osmotolerance
improvement of industrially important yeasts, as well as in crops
Fruit fracture biomechanics and the release of Lepidium didymum pericarp-imposed mechanical dormancy by fungi
Mechanical dormancy imposed by a hard fruit pericarp prevents premature seed germination. Here, the authors show that the pericarp of Lepidium didymum prevents germination by limiting water uptake and that dormancy can be released by fungal activity that weakens predetermined breaking zones in the fruit coat
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