Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystals and Displays, Volume. 37, Issue 10, 1278(2022)
Morphology of topological defects in liquid crystal microfluidics
In order to research the generation and evolution of topological defects in nematic liquid crystal microfluidics within different interfacial constraints, we prepared microchannels with different surface anchoring conditions. Three microchannels with varied surface anchoring conditions were created by bonding a substrate with different surface properties to a structural layer made of polydimethylsiloxane, and utilizing oxygen plasma to vary the chemical properties of the channel wall in a reasonable manner. The flow morphology of nematic liquid crystal in microchannels was examined, and the emergence regular of various forms of topological defect structures was summarized. Experimental results indicate that the liquid crystals in the planar alignment microchannel are arranged continuously without obvious defect structure. The hybrid alignment microchannel forms stable defect lines near the upper surface under the competition between interfacial anchors, and the number of defect lines is related to the breadth depth ratio of the microchannel. The director field in a homeotropic alignment microchannel shows excellent continuity under normal conditions. The backflow generated by controlled flow rate mutation can effectively disrupt the continuity of director field within the microchannel, thus creating dynamic topological defects. When the flow rate is constant, the defective structure maintains a brief dynamic equilibrium, followed by regular fluctuations in the channel.
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Si-chun ZHAO, Dong SHEN, Zhi-gang ZHENG. Morphology of topological defects in liquid crystal microfluidics[J]. Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystals and Displays, 2022, 37(10): 1278
Category: Research Articles
Received: Apr. 28, 2022
Accepted: --
Published Online: Oct. 10, 2022
The Author Email: Zhi-gang ZHENG (zgzheng@ecust.edu.cn)