Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are materials of interest for their biocompatibility and unique structural properties compared to traditional thermotropic liquid crystals. Their response to shear, however, remains largely unknown. We show that nematic LCLC solutions arrange into intriguing large-scale structures at high flow rates when pushed out of equilibrium by a pressure-driven flow in a microfluidic cell.We use polarization microscopy to determine the underlying liquid crystal alignment of these large-scale structures, and we showcase the tunability of the system.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Any reuse must credit the author(s) and provide a link back to this page.