Elastic Effects in Disordered Nematic Networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates how elastic effects influence disordered nematic elastomers, revealing soft responses during stretching and a transition to aligned states, with implications for understanding internal stresses.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical study of elastic effects in disordered nematic elastomers, highlighting the soft mechanical response and transition behaviors.

Findings

Networks show soft response against stretching due to alignment.

A sharp crossover to a macroscopically aligned state occurs with further stretching.

Random internal stress effects are also analyzed.

Abstract

Elastic effects in a model of disordered nematic elastomers are numerically investigated in two dimensions. Networks crosslinked in the isotropic phase exhibit unusual soft mechanical response against stretching. It arises from gradual alignment of orientationally correlated regions that are elongated along the director. A sharp crossover to a macroscopically aligned state is obtained on further stretching. The effect of random internal stress is also discussed.