Generation of high pretilt angle and surface anchoring strength in nematic liquid crystal on a rubbed polymer surface

1999 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 3594-3597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae-Shik Seo
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Nematic Liquid Crystal ◽  
Polymer Surface ◽  
Surface Anchoring ◽  
Anchoring Strength ◽  
Surface Anchoring Strength ◽  
Pretilt Angle

scholarly journals Surface anchoring controls orientation of a microswimmer in nematic liquid crystal

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Chi ◽  
Mykhailo Potomkin ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Leonid Berlyand ◽  
Igor S. Aranson
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Critical Case ◽  
Topological Defects ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Critical Surface ◽  
Bacteria Transport ◽  
Surface Anchoring ◽  
Swimming Direction ◽  
Anchoring Strength ◽  
Surface Anchoring Strength

Abstract Microscopic swimmers, both living and synthetic, often dwell in anisotropic viscoelastic environments. The most representative realization of such an environment is water-soluble liquid crystals. Here, we study how the local orientation order of liquid crystal affects the motion of a prototypical elliptical microswimmer. In the framework of well-validated Beris-Edwards model, we show that the microswimmer’s shape and its surface anchoring strength affect the swimming direction and can lead to reorientation transition. Furthermore, there exists a critical surface anchoring strength for non-spherical bacteria-like microswimmers, such that swimming occurs perpendicular in a sub-critical case and parallel in super-critical case. Finally, we demonstrate that for large propulsion speeds active microswimmers generate topological defects in the bulk of the liquid crystal. We show that the location of these defects elucidates how a microswimmer chooses its swimming direction. Our results can guide experimental works on control of bacteria transport in complex anisotropic environments.

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