Dataset associated with "Isotropic liquid crystal elastomers as exceptional photoelastic strain sensors"

Isotropic elastomeric materials containing liquid crystalline mesogenic unit are shown to have exceptionally large photoelastic constants and compliances that outperform commercially available photoelastic sensor materials. This dataset contains the data from various forms of tensile mechanical testing performed on the new materials developed. In these tests, the strain-induced ordering of the mesogenic units was monitored using birefringence measurements, polarised Raman spectroscopy and the guest-host dye effect.