Hardback : £69.97
Liquid crystals are fluids with a directionality defined. Polymers are long molecules with a shape that can be changed. As a network, polymers form rubber - a soft solid that is locally liquid-like and capable of huge extension. Liquid crystal elastomers are a combination of all these curious aspects, but with additional, revolutionary new phenomena - for example, spontaneous shape changes of several hundred percent induced by temperature change, with equally large
opto-mechanical responses, shape change without energy cost ("soft elasticity"), colour change with strain, lasing and photonics, sensitivity to molecular handedness and soft solid ferroelectricity.
This book is a primer for liquid crystals, polymers, rubber, and elasticity. It then describes the theory and experiment of these remarkable materials for the first time as a monograph. Worked examples are solved so that the reader can become proficient in the field himself. The book is directed at physicists, chemists, material scientists, engineers and applied mathematicians at the graduate student level and beyond
Liquid crystals are fluids with a directionality defined. Polymers are long molecules with a shape that can be changed. As a network, polymers form rubber - a soft solid that is locally liquid-like and capable of huge extension. Liquid crystal elastomers are a combination of all these curious aspects, but with additional, revolutionary new phenomena - for example, spontaneous shape changes of several hundred percent induced by temperature change, with equally large
opto-mechanical responses, shape change without energy cost ("soft elasticity"), colour change with strain, lasing and photonics, sensitivity to molecular handedness and soft solid ferroelectricity.
This book is a primer for liquid crystals, polymers, rubber, and elasticity. It then describes the theory and experiment of these remarkable materials for the first time as a monograph. Worked examples are solved so that the reader can become proficient in the field himself. The book is directed at physicists, chemists, material scientists, engineers and applied mathematicians at the graduate student level and beyond
1: A bird's eye view of liquid crystal elastomers
2: Liquid crystals
3: Polymers, elastomers and rubber elasticity
4: Classical elasticity
5: Nematic elastomers
6: Nematic rubber elasticity
7: Soft elasticity
8: Distortions of nematic elastomers
9: Cholesteric elastomers
10: Continuum description of nematic elastomers
11: Dynamics of liquid crystal elastomers
12: Smectic elastomers
13: Continuum description of smectic elastomers
References
Index
Author Index
ONLINE APPENDICES
A: Nematic order in elastomers under strain
B: Biaxial soft elasticity
C: Stripe microstructure
D: Couple-stress and Cosserat elasticity
E: Expansion at small deformations and rotations
F: Smectic C soft elasticity
Professor Mark Warner
Cavendish Laboratory
University of Cambridge
Professor Eugene Michael Terentjev
Sector of Biological & Soft Systems
Cavendish Laboratory
University of Cambridge
`Review from previous edition The authors are the pioneering
theorists in this field... The coverage of relevant material is
generally quite exceptional and impressive...very up-to-date with
regard to nearly all aspects of research, both theoretical and
experimental, on the properties of liquid crystalline
elastomers.'
Robert Pelcovits, Brown University
`The text is replete with judiciously chosen problems (and
solutions) inserted at key points to facilitate the appreciation of
subtle points. Liquid Crystal Elastomers is a major contribution to
soft materials science, ranking with benchmark texts.'
Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals
`... this book is likely to become a classic: read it, learn from
it, and let it inspire you.'
Europhysicsnews
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