Mechanisms selecting polydomain microstructures

Determine the mechanisms that select the specific types and scales of microstructures in Phase P of polydomain liquid crystal elastomers, including circular double laminates and multiscale hierarchical laminations.

Background

The quasi-convex relaxation of the monodomain neo-classical free energy divides polydomain liquid crystal elastomers into soft-elastic, planar, and monodomain phases. In the planar Phase P, the material behaves liquid-like in-plane but solid-like out-of-plane, and the relaxed energy depends only on the areal stretch.

This phase can accommodate complex director and deformation microstructures, including circular double laminates and hierarchical laminations. Although the theory identifies possible microstructural forms, the physical or mathematical mechanisms that determine which structures arise and what length scales they adopt are not resolved.