Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The role of Frank elasticity in cholesteric elastomers

  • Regular Articles
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal E Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

The effect of Frank elasticity on deformations of cholesteric elastomers by mechanical stress applied perpendicular to the helix axis is studied by numerical minimization of the free energy. Above a critical strain, a solution with an only oscillating director is found to be stable in comparison to a distorted helix. At the critical strain, the contractions perpendicular to stress change discontinuously. The critical strain is found to increase with increasing Frank elasticity contribution to the free energy density, and to diverge when the conformation anisotropy of the polymer backbone vanishes. The results are compared with recent experiments which indicated that, in case of weak conformation anisotropies, the Frank elasticity contribution to the free energy cannot be neglected.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • M. Warner, E.M. Terentjev, Liquid Crystal Elastomers (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2003)

  • H. de Vries, Acta Crystallogr. 4, 219 (1951)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Warner, E.M. Terentjev, R.B. Meyer, Y. Mao, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2320 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Y. Mao, E.M. Terentjev, M. Warner, Phys. Rev. E 64, 041803 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • P.G. de Gennes, J. Prost, The Physics of Liquid Crystals, 2nd edn. (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993)

  • C. Bourgerette, B. Chen, H. Finkelmann, M. Mitov, J. Schmidtke, W. Stille, Macromolecules 39, 8163 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Cicuta, A.R. Tajbakhsh, E.M. Terentjev, Phys. Rev. E 65, 051704 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • P. Cicuta, A.R. Tajbakhsh, E.M. Terentjev, Phys. Rev. E. 70, 011703 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • P.A. Bermel, M. Warner, Phys. Rev. E 65, 056614 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • A.C. Callan-Jones, R.A. Pelcovits, R.B. Meyer, A.F. Bower, Phys. Rev. E 75, 011701 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • C.D. Hasson, F.J. Davis, G.R. Mitchell, Chem. Commun. 2515 (1998)

  • J. Schmidtke, W. Stille, G. Strobl, Macromolecules 33, 2922 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W.H. Press, S.A. Teukolsky, W.T. Vetterling, B.P. Flannery, Numerical Recipes in C, 2nd edn. (Cambridge University Press, 1992)

  • H. Wöhler, G. Haas, M. Fritsch, D.A. Mlynski, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 5, 1554 (1988)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • D.W. Berreman, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62, 502 (1972)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • J. Schmidtke, S. Kniesel, H. Finkelmann, Macromolecules 38, 1357 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    W. Stille

  2. Institut für Makromolekulare Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    J. Schmidtke

Authors
  1. W. Stille
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Schmidtke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. Stille.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stille, W., Schmidtke, J. The role of Frank elasticity in cholesteric elastomers. Eur. Phys. J. E 22, 117–122 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2007-00018-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2007-00018-9

PACS.

Search

Navigation