title: Phase separation and disorder in doped nematic elastomers.
abstract: We formulate and analyse a model describing the combined effect of mechanical deformation, dynamics of the nematic order parameter, and concentration inhomogeneities in an elastomeric mixture of a mesogenic and an isotropic component. The uniform nematic state may exhibit a long-wave instability corresponding to nematic-isotropic demixing. Numerical simulations starting from either a perfectly ordered nematic state or a quenched isotropic state show that coupling between the mesogen concentration and the nematic order parameter influences the shape and orientation of the domains formed during the demixing process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Köpf
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pismen
mesh_terms: D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D020724:Elastomers