Modeling photo-induced deformation of glassy splay-bend and twist nematic sheets

Azobenzene-containing glassy nematic sheets deform in response to light in a complicated way depending on director distribution. To quantify the large-deflected deformation, a theoretical model is developed for the sheets with typical splay-bend and twist director distributions. A third-order in-plane displacement assumption is adopted to characterize the effect of transverse shear deformation, and the necessity is discussed through two examples for which analytical solutions are obtainable. Though this work is an extension of the third-order shear deformable theory for anisotropic laminates, it involves some new ingredients such as varying spontaneous strains and special material symmetries. The results are expected useful for analysis and design of the glassy nematic sheets in actuation applications.