Related papers: A macroscopic constitutive relation for isotropic-…
Explicit expressions for the behavior of statistically isotropic composites with viscoelastic matrices and linear elastic inclusions are determined by application of the correspondence principle. The behavior of the matrix is linear in…
Training has emerged as a promising materials design technique in which function can be acheived through repeated physical modification of an existing material rather than by direct chemical functionalization, cutting or reprocessing. This…
The effect of rough walls on the phase behaviour of a confined liquid crystal (LC) fluid is studied using constant pressure Monte Carlo simulations. The LC is modelled as a fluid of soft ellipsoidal molecules and the rough walls are…
Magnetic gels are composite materials, consisting of a polymer matrix and embedded magnetic particles. Those are mechanically coupled to each other, giving rise to the magnetostrictive effects as well as to a controllable overall elasticity…
Plasticisers (PLs) are small additives commonly incorporated into polymer composites to enhance processability and improve mechanical properties. Their effectiveness depends heavily on their miscibility within the polymer melt, yet…
The phase behavior of ionic fluids on simple cubic and tetragonal (anisotropic) lattices has been studied by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Systems with both the true lattice Coulombic potential and continuous-space $1/r$…
The shape of liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) with spatial variation in the director orientation can be transformed by exposure to a stimulus. Here, informed by previously reported analytical treatments, we prepare complex spiral…
Instabilities in thin elastic sheets, such as wrinkles, are of broad interest both from a fundamental viewpoint and also because of their potential for engineering applications. Nematic liquid crystal elastomers offer a new form of control…
Many geologic materials have a composite structure, in which macroscopic mechanical behavior is determined by the properties, shape, and heterogeneous distribution of individual constituents. In particular, sedimentary rocks commonly…
We derive a multiphysics model that accounts for network elasticity with spontaneous strains, swelling and nematic interactions in liquid crystal gels (LCGs). We discuss the coupling among the various physical mechanisms, with particular…
We study a three-dimensional ($3D$) liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) in the context of Finsler geometry (FG) modeling, where FG is a mathematical framework for describing anisotropic phenomena. The LCE is a $3D$ rubbery object and has…
An elastomer swelling actuator deforms by absorbing a fluid, thus generating mechanical movement. We show that depositing small droplets of low molecular weight liquid crystal on liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) films leads to shape changes…
Ferrogels and magnetoelastomers are composite materials obtained by embedding magnetic particles of mesoscopic size in a crosslinked polymeric matrix. They combine the reversible elastic deformability of polymeric materials with the high…
We show that non-entangled polymers display an elastic-like behaviour at a macroscopic scale (probed at some 0.100 mm thickness) up to at least hundred degrees above the glass transition temperature. This observation, found under…
We develop a continuum theory of linear viscoelastic response in oriented monodomain nematic elastomers. The expression for dissipation function is analogous to the Leslie-Ericksen version of anisotropic nematic viscosity; we propose the…
We consider a linearly elastic composite medium, which consists of a homogeneous matrix containing a statistically homogeneous set of multimodal spherical inclusions modeling the morphology of heterogeneous solid propellants (HSP).…
Rubber blends are ubiquitous in countless technological applications. More often than not, rubber blends exhibit complex interpenetrating microstructures, which are thought to have a significant impact on their resulting macroscopic…
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can undergo large reversible contractions along their nematic director upon heating or illumination. A spatially patterned director within a flat LCE sheet thus encodes a pattern of contraction on heating,…
The paper is devoted to the homogenization of porous piezoelectric materials saturated by electrically inert fluid. The solid part of a representative volume element consists of the piezoelectric skeleton with embedded conductors. The pore…
Photoactive liquid crystal elastomers are polymer networks of liquid crystal mesogens embedded with chromophores like azobenzene. They undergo large deformation when illuminated by light of a certain wavelength through photochemical…