Deformation Behavior of Chiral-Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Particles Embedded in Elastomers

Abstract

Chiral-nematic liquid crystals (N*LC) exhibit a helical molecular orientation that selectively reflects light based on their helical pitch. External stimuli can alter the helical pitch, making them ideal sensing materials. Recently, we have achieved quantitative detection of out-of-plane strain by developing strain sensors using N*LC elastomer films. Additionally, we successfully synthesized N*LC microparticles with radially aligned helical axes, enabling the detection of three-dimensional strain. However, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of these particles was 40 °C, limiting strain measurements to temperatures at room temperature. In this study, we developed N*LC microparticles with a Tg below room temperature to investigate their molecular orientation and optical properties under strain.