Selective reflection properties of cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers in various deformation modes

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCE) are rubbers with the optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals, and the characteristic wavelength of selective reflection can be reversibly changed by elastic deformation. In this study, we investigate the effects of three deformation modes, (uniaxial extension, compression, and planar extension), on the optical response behavior and helical structure of CLCE. The results show that the changes in the characteristic wavelength and selective reflection properties strongly depend on the deformation modes, even when the strain along the helical axis (z) is the same.