Journal of Elasticity - Call for Papers - Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Their Theory

Guest Editors:
Prof. L. Angela Mihai, Cardiff University, UK
Dr. Carl D. Modes, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany

Submission status: Open   |   Submission deadline: 31 July 2024

Summary and scope
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have captured the imagination of scientists around the world ever since they were first proposed by P.G. de Gennes in 1975 and successfully synthesized by H. Finkelmann and collaborators in 1981. Because of their shape-shifting ability through large reversible deformations under natural stimuli like temperature and light, they seem the stuff of science-fiction. Moreover, biodegradable, recyclable and reprocessable LCEs have also been achieved. However, despite the fact that their constituent ingredients, namely polymeric chains and liquid crystals, are well understood and widely utilized in major industries, such as rubber tires and liquid crystal displays, the vast potential of LCEs remains largely untapped.

This Special Issue aims to address the current state of LCE research. While experimental studies of LCEs have witnessed an unprecedented surge in recent years, a deeper understanding of these materials necessitates theoretical investigations. We therefore invite research contributions on LCEs that can illuminate some of their key theoretical aspects. We would particularly like to dedicate this Special Issue to the memory of Professor Mark Warner, who pioneered the theory of LCEs.

Submission guidelines
All papers must be prepared in accordance with the Instructions for Authors at: https://www.springer.com/journal/10659/submission-guidelines (this opens in a new tab). Authors should submit via the online submission site and select article type “SI - Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Their Theory".

Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the Special Issue. All papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. Final decisions on all papers are made by the Editor-in-Chief.

Meet the Guest Editors:

L. Angela Mihai is a Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cardiff University, UK. She obtained her DPhil for research in numerical analysis from the University of Durham, UK, in 2005. With further experience as a postdoctoral researcher at the Universities of Strathclyde, Cambridge, and Oxford, she developed expertise in the mathematics and mechanics of solids.  She is the author of the monograph ``Stochastic Elasticity: A Nondeterministic Approach to the Nonlinear Field Theory'' published by Springer in 2022.

Carl D. Modes is a W2 Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany. He is also affiliated with the Center for Systems Biology Dresden and the Physics of Life Cluster of Excellence. He completed his PhD in theoretical soft condensed matter physics at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Prior to his current position, he conducted postdoctoral research on the shape programmability and mechanics of nematic elastomers at the University of Cambridge, UK, and in the biophysics of complex spatial networks at the Rockefeller University, USA.