74th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 21, 2021 — November 23, 2021)
P0012: Dancing Droplets on a Defect Line
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2021.GFM.P0012
This microscopic look into a mixture containing a liquid crystal (LC), water, and alcohol reveals how richly complex, yet beautiful, organized droplet phenomena emerges below freezing temperatures. Liquid crystal substances are found in many of our modern electronic displays (think: flat TV screens, tablets, mobiles) because they have molecules that can instantly respond, and re-orient, to changes in electricity, heat, and other forces. Because of this responsivity, LCs can be used to develop new and exciting types of materials that can be responsive to their changing environment as well, like fibers that change in color when exposed to toxic gases, or light responding actuators for creating soft robots. My poster illustrates that even when mixed with common solvents, LCs can still show properties that help assemble droplets, and possibly even particles, which is useful in understanding how nano- and complex materials can be engineered.
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