scholarly journals Orientation of Liquid Crystalline Molecules on PDMS Surfaces and within PDMS Microfluidic Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 11593
Author(s):  
Szymon Baczyński ◽  
Piotr Sobotka ◽  
Kasper Marchlewicz ◽  
Mateusz Słowikowski ◽  
Marcin Juchniewicz ◽  
...  

The unique components of PDMS-based microfluidic systems are those combined with liquid crystalline materials. Their functionality, especially when it comes to optical applications, highly depends on the LC molecular arrangement. This work summarizes experimental investigations on the orientation of molecules within LC:PDMS structures according to the manufacturing technologies. The availability of high-quality molds to pattern PDMS is a significant barrier to the creation of advanced microfluidic systems. The possibility of using inexpensive molds in the rapid and reproducible fabrication process has been particularly examined as an alternative to photolithography. Different geometries, including an innovative approach for the electrical control of the molecular arrangement within PDMS microchannels, are presented. These studies are critical for novel optofluidic systems, introducing further research on LC:PDMS waveguiding structures.

Author(s):  
W.S. Putnam ◽  
C. Viney

Many sheared liquid crystalline materials (fibers, films and moldings) exhibit a fine banded microstructure when observed in the polarized light microscope. In some cases, for example Kevlar® fiber, the periodicity is close to the resolution limit of even the highest numerical aperture objectives. The periodic microstructure reflects a non-uniform alignment of the constituent molecules, and consequently is an indication that the mechanical properties will be less than optimal. Thus it is necessary to obtain quality micrographs for characterization, which in turn requires that fine detail should contribute significantly to image formation.It is textbook knowledge that the resolution achievable with a given microscope objective (numerical aperture NA) and a given wavelength of light (λ) increases as the angle of incidence of light at the specimen surface is increased. Stated in terms of the Abbe resolution criterion, resolution improves from λ/NA to λ/2NA with increasing departure from normal incidence.


Author(s):  
Nanqi Bao ◽  
Jake Gold ◽  
Tibor Szilvasi ◽  
Huaizhe Yu ◽  
Robert Twieg ◽  
...  

Computational methods can provide first-principles insights into the thermochemistry and kinetics of reactions at interfaces, but this capability has not been widely leveraged to design soft materials that respond selectively...


2005 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 655
Author(s):  
K. Czuprynski ◽  
J. Gasowska ◽  
M. Tykarska ◽  
P. Kula ◽  
E. Sokól ◽  
...  

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