Temperature- and deformation-dependent soft elasticity and order-driven actuation in monodomain liquid crystal elastomers: a finite element study
- Journal
- Smart Materials and Structures
- Vol
- 35
- Page
- Number 10
- Year
- 2026
- Link
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-665X/aeb2ca 1회 연결
This study investigates the coupled effect of soft elasticity and phase behavior in monodomain liquid crystal elastomer(LCE) through finite element analysis. Soft elasticity allows for large deformations with minimal stress through mesogen rotation. Phase behavior describes the thermotropic transition between nematic and isotropic states, governed by the evolution of the scalar order parameter. Spontaneous behavior in LCEs is fundamentally determined by the interplay between mesogenic order and mechanical strain. Accurate prediction of such complex responses requires the integration of an underlying energy model, an algorithmically consistent constitutive framework, and realistic boundary conditions. Hence, a finite element method is used to implement the consistent constitutive model, enabling the analysis of large scale systems with non-trivial boundary conditions and complex domains. Through the numerical method, the proposed framework captures diverse morphing modes, providing a computational framework for designing programmable LCE-based actuators.