A new pathway for the formation of radial nematic droplets within a lipid-laden aqueous-liquid crystal interface

RSC Advances ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (36) ◽  
pp. 18889-18893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumyra Sidiq ◽  
Dibyendu Das ◽  
Santanu Kumar Pal
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
First Time ◽  
Crystal Interface

A new pathway for the formation of liquid crystal (LC) droplets with radial LC ordering is reported for the first time in the presence of surfactants and lipids. Interactions of an enzyme with the topological defects in the LC mediate the response of these droplets and thus provide new designs for stimuli-responsive soft materials.

scholarly journals Light-Actuated Liquid Crystal Elastomer Prepared by Projection Display

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7245
Author(s):  
Juan Chen ◽  
Oluwafemi Isaac Akomolafe ◽  
Jinghua Jiang ◽  
Chenhui Peng
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Projection Display ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Spatially Varying ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
3D Shapes

Soft materials with programmability have been widely used in drug delivery, tissue engineering, artificial muscles, biosensors, and related biomedical engineering applications. Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can easily morph into three-dimensional (3D) shapes by external stimuli such as light, heat, and humidity. In order to program two-dimensional (2D) LCE sheets into desired 3D morphologies, it is critical to precisely control the molecular orientations in LCE. In this work, we propose a simple photopatterning method based on a maskless projection display system to create spatially varying molecular orientations in LCE films. By designing different synchronized rotations of the polarizer and projected images, diverse configurations ranging from individual to 2D lattice of topological defects are fabricated. The proposed technique significantly simplified the photopatterning procedure without using fabricated masks or waveplates. Shape transformations such as a cone and a truncated square pyramid, and functionality mimicking the responsive Mimosa Pudica are demonstrated in the fabricated LCE films. The programmable LCE morphing behaviors demonstrated in this work will open opportunities in soft robotics and smart functional devices.

Quantification of internal strain in bent soft materials by a cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayuki Kishino ◽  
Norihisa Akamatsu ◽  
Shoichi Kubo ◽  
Kyohei Hisano ◽  
Osamu Tsutsumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Cholesteric Liquid Crystal ◽  
Soft Materials ◽  
Internal Strain ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer

scholarly journals Stable and Oriented Liquid Crystal Droplets Stabilized by Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 6044
Author(s):  
Efthymia Ramou ◽  
Guilherme Rebordão ◽  
Susana I. C. J. Palma ◽  
Ana C. A. Roque
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Liquids ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
Surface Active ◽  
State Of Matter ◽  
First Time ◽  
Sds Surfactant

Liquid crystals represent a fascinating intermediate state of matter, with dynamic yet organized molecular features and untapped opportunities in sensing. Several works report the use of liquid crystal droplets formed by microfluidics and stabilized by surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). In this work, we explore, for the first time, the potential of surface-active ionic liquids of the imidazolium family as surfactants to generate in high yield, stable and oriented liquid crystal droplets. Our results show that [C12MIM][Cl], in particular, yields stable, uniform and monodisperse droplets (diameter 74 ± 6 µm; PDI = 8%) with the liquid crystal in a radial configuration, even when compared with the standard SDS surfactant. These findings reveal an additional application for ionic liquids in the field of soft matter.

scholarly journals Vortices Nucleation By Inherent Fluctuations In Nematic Liquid Crystal Cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esteban Aguilera ◽  
Marcel G. Clerc ◽  
Valeska Zambra
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Nematic Liquid Crystal ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Optical Vortices ◽  
Topological Features ◽  
Nucleation Mechanisms ◽  
Multistable Systems ◽  
Light Beams ◽  
Crystal Cells

Abstract Multistable systems are characterized by exhibiting domain coexistence, where each domain accounts for the different states. In the case of these systems are described by vectorial fields, domains are connected through topological defects. Vortices are one of the most frequent and studied topological defect points. Optical vortices are equally relevant for their fundamental features as beams with topological features and their applications in image processing, telecommunications, optical tweezers, and quantum information. The interaction of light beams with matter vortices in liquid crystal cells is a natural source of optical vortices. The rhythms that govern the emergence of matter vortexes due to fluctuations are not established. Here we investigate the nucleation mechanisms of the matter vortices in liquid crystal cells and establish statistical laws that govern them. Based on a stochastic amplitude equation, the law for the number of nucleated vortices as a function of anisotropy, voltage, and noise level intensity is set. Experimental observations in a nematic liquid crystal cell with homeotropic anchoring and a negative anisotropic dielectric constant under the influence of a transversal electric field show a fair agreement with the theoretical findings.

scholarly journals Effect of Crosslinkers on Optical and Mechanical Behavior of Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (20) ◽  
pp. 6193
Author(s):  
Kyosun Ku ◽  
Kyohei Hisano ◽  
Kyoko Yuasa ◽  
Tomoki Shigeyama ◽  
Norihisa Akamatsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Polymer Network ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
Breaking Strain ◽  
Responsive Materials ◽  
Sensor Applications ◽  
Color Changes ◽  
Chiral Nematic ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Chiral nematic (N*) liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are suitable for fabricating stimuli-responsive materials. As crosslinkers considerably affect the N*LCE network, we investigated the effects of crosslinking units on the physical properties of N*LCEs. The N*LCEs were synthesized with different types of crosslinkers, and the relationship between the N*LC polymeric system and the crosslinking unit was investigated. The N*LCEs emit color by selective reflection, in which the color changes in response to mechanical deformation. The LC-type crosslinker decreases the helical twisting power of the N*LCE by increasing the total molar ratio of the mesogenic compound. The N*LCE exhibits mechano-responsive color changes by coupling the N*LC orientation and the polymer network, where the N*LCEs exhibit different degrees of pitch variation depending on the crosslinker. Moreover, the LC-type crosslinker increases the Young’s modulus of N*LCEs, and the long methylene chains increase the breaking strain. An analysis of experimental results verified the effect of the crosslinkers, providing a design rationale for N*LCE materials in mechano-optical sensor applications.

Self-pulsing of the laser light transmitted by a nonlinear liquid-crystal interface near the phase transition

1988 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 886 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Simoni ◽  
G. Cipparrone ◽  
I. C. Khoo ◽  
C. Umeton
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transition ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Laser Light ◽  
Crystal Interface
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