Abstract
The mechanical properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are investigated to elucidate their fundamental microstructural and mechanistic underpinnings, and overall structural integrity under deformation. High strain-rate loading experiments and quasistatic compression tests on PDLC materials reveal an amplified strain-rate dependence relative to the matrix material. A finite-element micromechanical model of PDLC materials explains this behavior in terms of strain-rate concentrations at the equators of the spherical liquid-crystal droplets. The model also predicts a weak dependence of the aspect ratio of deforming liquid-crystal droplets on their volume fraction.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1872-1874 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 27 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)