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arXiv · 1203.0982

Phenomenological Theory of Isotropic-Genesis Nematic Elastomers

Bing-Sui Lu·Fangfu Ye·Xiangjun Xing·Paul M. Goldbart
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Abstract

We consider the impact of the elastomer network on the structure and fluctuations in the isotropic-genesis nematic elastomer, via a phenomenological model that underscores the role of network compliance. The model contains a network-mediated nonlocal interaction as well as a new kind of random field, which reflects the memory of the nematic order present at cross-linking, and also encodes local anisotropy due to localized polymers. Thus, we predict a regime of short-ranged oscillatory spatial correlations (both thermal and glassy) in the nematic alignment trapped into the network.

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Bing-Sui Lu, Fangfu Ye, Xiangjun Xing, Paul M. Goldbart. 2012-03-05. Phenomenological Theory of Isotropic-Genesis Nematic Elastomers. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.108.257803

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