Tack energy and switchable adhesion of liquid crystal elastomers

The mechanical properties of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) make them suitable candidates for pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Using the nematic dumbbell constitutive model, and the block model of PSAs, we study their tack energy and the debonding process as could be measured experimentally in the probe-tack test. To investigate their performance as switchable PSAs we compare the tack energy for the director aligned parallel, and perpendicular to the substrate normal, and for the isotropic state. We find that the tack energy is larger in the parallel alignment than the isotropic case by over a factor of two. The tack energy for the perpendicular alignment can be 50% less than the isotropic case. We propose a mechanism for reversibly switchable adhesion based on the reversibility of the isotropic to nematic transition. Finally we consider the influence of several material parameters that could be used to tune the stress-strain response

Effect of the network on the director fluctuations in a nematic side-group elastomer analysed by static and dynamic light scattering

Static and dynamic light scattering experiments were performed on monodomains of a crosslinked nematic side-group polysiloxane. The depolarized scattering caused by fluctuations of the nematic director was analysed. Due to a superposed strong static scattering produced by heterogeneities the fluctuating part of the scattering intensity was found to be rather small. In contrast to low molar mass nematics, the relaxation rates and strength did not show a significant dependence on the scattering vector. The results can be explained by restoring torques on the director originating from the coupling to the network elasticity which dominate those originating from the Frank elasticity. Quantities describing the coupling as well as effective viscosities for the director reorientation were obtained