Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling

In this paper, we show that the 3D Finsler geometry (FG) modeling technique successfully explains a reported experimental result: a thin liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) disk floating on the water surface deforms under light irradiation. In the reported experiment, the upper surface is illuminated by...

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Main Author: Hiroshi Koibuchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-07-01
Series:Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/7/757
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spelling doaj-4dc3f4f0739a4d1ba2917b0f59ed232c2020-11-25T00:03:10ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602018-07-0110775710.3390/polym10070757polym10070757Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry ModelingHiroshi Koibuchi0Department of Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College, Nakane 866, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki 312-8508, JapanIn this paper, we show that the 3D Finsler geometry (FG) modeling technique successfully explains a reported experimental result: a thin liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) disk floating on the water surface deforms under light irradiation. In the reported experiment, the upper surface is illuminated by a light spot, and the nematic ordering of directors is influenced, but the nematic ordering remains unchanged on the lower surface contacting the water. This inhomogeneity of the director orientation on/inside the LCE is considered as the origin of the shape change that drives the disk on the water in the direction opposite the movement of the light spot. However, the mechanism of the shape change is still insufficiently understood because to date, the positional variable for the polymer has not been directly included in the interaction energy of the models for this system. We find that this shape change of the disk can be reproduced using the FG model. In this FG model, the interaction between σ, which represents the director field corresponding to the directional degrees of LC, and the polymer position is introduced via the Finsler metric. This interaction, which is a direct consequence of the geometry deformation, provides a good description of the shape deformation of the LCE disk under light irradiation.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/7/757liquid crystal elastomerlight irradiationdye-dopedMonte Carlostatistical mechanicsFinsler geometry
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Hiroshi Koibuchi
spellingShingle Hiroshi Koibuchi
Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
Polymers
liquid crystal elastomer
light irradiation
dye-doped
Monte Carlo
statistical mechanics
Finsler geometry
author_facet Hiroshi Koibuchi
author_sort Hiroshi Koibuchi
title Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
title_short Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
title_full Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
title_fullStr Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
title_full_unstemmed Bending of Thin Liquid Crystal Elastomer under Irradiation of Visible Light: Finsler Geometry Modeling
title_sort bending of thin liquid crystal elastomer under irradiation of visible light: finsler geometry modeling
publisher MDPI AG
series Polymers
issn 2073-4360
publishDate 2018-07-01
description In this paper, we show that the 3D Finsler geometry (FG) modeling technique successfully explains a reported experimental result: a thin liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) disk floating on the water surface deforms under light irradiation. In the reported experiment, the upper surface is illuminated by a light spot, and the nematic ordering of directors is influenced, but the nematic ordering remains unchanged on the lower surface contacting the water. This inhomogeneity of the director orientation on/inside the LCE is considered as the origin of the shape change that drives the disk on the water in the direction opposite the movement of the light spot. However, the mechanism of the shape change is still insufficiently understood because to date, the positional variable for the polymer has not been directly included in the interaction energy of the models for this system. We find that this shape change of the disk can be reproduced using the FG model. In this FG model, the interaction between σ, which represents the director field corresponding to the directional degrees of LC, and the polymer position is introduced via the Finsler metric. This interaction, which is a direct consequence of the geometry deformation, provides a good description of the shape deformation of the LCE disk under light irradiation.
topic liquid crystal elastomer
light irradiation
dye-doped
Monte Carlo
statistical mechanics
Finsler geometry
url http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/7/757
work_keys_str_mv AT hiroshikoibuchi bendingofthinliquidcrystalelastomerunderirradiationofvisiblelightfinslergeometrymodeling
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