01187nas a2200121   4500008004300000245006000043210006000103520080200163100002200965700002200987700002001009856003601029       2007                        en_Ud  00aCritical voltages and blocking stresses in nematic gels0 aCritical voltages and blocking stresses in nematic gels3 aWe use a recently proposed model to study the dynamics of director remodeling in nematic gels under combined electro-mechanical loading. Focusing on a model specimen, we describe the critical volt-ages that must be exceeded to achieve mesogen reorientation, and the blocking stresses that prevent alignment of the nematic mesogens with the electric field. The corresponding phase diagram shows that the dynamic thresholds defined above are different from those predicted on the sole basis of energetics. Multistep loading programs are used to explore the energy landscape of our model specimen, showing the existence of multiple local minima under the same voltage and applied stress. This leads us to conclude that hysteresis should be expected in the electro-mechanical response of nematic gels.1 aDeSimone, Antonio1 aDi Carlo, Antonio1 aTeresi, Luciano  uhttp://hdl.handle.net/1963/2553