Direct Observation of Liquid Crystal Droplet Configurational Transitions using Optical Tweezers

Shechter, Jake; Atzin, Noe; Mozaffari, Ali; Zhang, Rui; Zhou, Ye; Strain, Benjamin; Oster, Linda M.; de Pablo, Juan J.; Ross, Jennifer L.

doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03629

Title: Direct Observation of Liquid Crystal Droplet Configurational Transitions using Optical Tweezers

Journal Article · 27 January 2020 · Langmuir

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03629 · OSTI ID:1770323

Shechter, Jake ^[1]; Atzin, Noe ^[2]; Mozaffari, Ali ^[2]; Zhang, Rui ^[2];

^[2]; Strain, Benjamin ^[1]; Oster, Linda M. ^[1];

^[3];

^[4]

Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States)
Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Syracuse Univ., NY (United States)

Liquid crystals (LCs) are easily influenced by external interactions, particularly at interfaces. When rod-like LC molecules are confined to spherical droplets, they experience a competition between interfacial tension and elastic deformations. The configuration of LCs inside a droplet can be controlled using surfactants that influence the interfacial orientation of the LC molecules in the oil-phase of an oil in water emulsion. Here, we used the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to manipulate the orientation of 5CB molecules in a polydisperse emulsion and examined the configuration of the droplets as a function of SDS concentration. We triggered pronounced morphological transitions by altering the SDS concentration while observing an individual LC droplet held in place using an optical tweezer. We compared the experimental configuration changes to predictions from simulations. Finally, we observed a hysteresis in the SDS concentration that induced the morphological transition from radial to bipolar and back as well as a fluctuations in the configuration during the transition.

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Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOD

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 1770323

Journal Information:: Langmuir, Journal Name: Langmuir Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 36; ISSN 0743-7463

Publisher:: American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Direct Observation of Liquid Crystal Droplet Configurational Transitions using Optical Tweezers

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