Isotropic-nematic transition in liquid-crystalline elastomers: Lattice model with quenched disorder
Isotropic-nematic transition in liquid-crystalline elastomers: Lattice model with quenched disorder
When liquid-crystalline elastomers pass through the isotropic-nematic transition, the orientational order parameter and the elastic strain vary rapidly but smoothly, without the expected first-order discontinuity. This broadening of the phase transition is an important issue for applications of liquid-crystalline elastomers as actuators or artificial muscles. To understand this behavior, we …