International Journal

Temperature- and deformation-dependent soft elasticity and order-driven actuation in monodomain liquid crystal elastomers: a finite element study
Author
Sanghyeon Park, Jaesung Park, Hyunggyu Kim, Howon Lee* and Hayoung Chung*
Journal
Smart Materials and Structures
Vol
35
Page
Number 10
Year
2026

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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.