Rabin Poudel

Research

Thesis

Mathematics of Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are advanced, stimuli-responsive materials which can convert light or heat into mechanical work, without the need for batteries, electric wires or gears. These extraordinary properties are due to their molecular architecture consisting of cross-linked networks of polymeric chains (rubber) containing liquid crystal mesogens (usually found in liquid-crystal displays). 

The PhD project aims to develop a mathematical model that captures the auxeticity observed experimentally in nematic LCE under different deformations. A rigorous mathematical analysis of the model will be done to establish conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a solution to the corresponding boundary value problems. Finally, the model will be numerically analysed and simulated employing molecular dynamics and finite element methods.

Supervisors