Izbrane teme sodobne fizike in matematike
Obravnavamo mikročrpalke iz tekočekristalnih elastomerov. Za njihovo boljše razumevanje si najprej ogledamo elastičnost elastomerov na modelu gibke verige. Nadaljujemo s tekočimi kristali in opisom njihove strukture. Kot zgled uporabe si ogledamo njihov odziv na zunanje električno polje. To nas pripelje do tekočekristalnih elastomerov. Pogledamo si, kako so zgrajeni, in na podlagi računskega primera ter eksperimentalnih dejstev spoznamo, kako je z njihovim odzivom na zunanje dražljaje. Nazadnje se posvetimo še mikročrpalkam, si ogledamo, kako so pripravljene in kako je bila preverjena njihova struktura. Za konec diskutiramo še njihove različne možnosti uporabe.
In this paper liquid crystal elastomer micropumps are presented. For a better understanding we first study the elasticity of elastomers, starting from a simple flexible chain model. We continue by considering liquid crystals and review their structure and properties, including their response to external electric fields. Then, our focus is shifted to liquid crystal elastomers. We look at how they are constructed and learn about their reaction to external stimuli, both from a theoretical model and from experimental data. Last of all, we draw attention to the micropumps, look at how they are made and how their microscopic structure was verified. We also discuss their possible applications.