A Novel Liquid Crystal Elastomer with Large Spontaneous Length Changes

An order parameter describes an elastomer where a liquid crystal is cross linked at a temperature T$_{L}$ far from its clearing temperature. At T$_{L}$, there is a first order constant density phase transition where the order parameter vanishes and the elastomer has cubic symmetry. Below T$_{L}$ it is an icosahedral nematic and above a biaxial nematic. This theory quantitatively accounts for spontaneous shape change, nonlinear elasticity and gelation dynamics in a novel liquid crystal elastomer.