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Swollen elastomer liquid crystals undergo significant deformations by application of an electric field perpendicular to their alignment axis, as shown in experiments by Urayama et al. [Urayama Κ, Honda S, Takigawa Τ (2006) Macromolecules 39:1943-1949]. Here we clarify this surprising effect at the molecular level using largescale Monte Carlo simulations of an off-lattice model based on a soft Gay-Berne potential. We provide the internal change of molecular organization, as well as the key observables during the actuation cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a Monte Carlo study of a simple model of a liquid crystal-polymer system under the effect of an external applied field. A lattice spin model, based on the Lebwhol-Lasher Hamiltonian and generalized with suitable boundary conditions, has been employed to investigate the molecular organization and to predict the ordering across a sample cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]