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Nematic Liquid-Crystal Necklace Structure Made by Microfluidics System
journal contribution
posted on 2020-03-17, 19:34 authored by Yoshiko Takenaka, Miha Škarabot, Igor MuševičWe
report a necklace
structure made of liquid crystal dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol)
(PVA) aqueous solution, which is fabricated by a microfluidic device.
In the necklace structure, liquid crystal droplets that are tens of micrometers in diameter are connected
by microtethers, which are birefringent, are not penetrating the droplets,
and can be elastically stretched by applying external force. The necklace
structure was analyzed by fluorescent confocal microscopy, and the
tethers were made of liquid crystal and PVA composite. The elastic
constant of the tether was determined by using laser tweezers to stretch
the tether. The Whispering Gallery Modes circulating inside individual
droplets in the necklace structure were also observed.