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Controlling Liquid Crystal Configuration and Phase Using Multiple Molecular Triggers
Authors:Linda M Oster  Jake Shechter  Benjamin Strain  Manisha Shivrayan  Sankaran Thai Thayumanavan  Jennifer L Ross
Institution:1.Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; (L.M.O.); (J.S.); (B.S.);2.Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; (M.S.); (S.T.T.);3.Department of Physics, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
Abstract:Liquid crystals are able to transform a local molecular interaction into a macroscopic change of state, making them a valuable “smart” material. Here, we investigate a novel polymeric amphiphile as a candidate for molecular triggering of liquid crystal droplets in aqueous background. Using microscopy equipped with crossed polarizers and optical tweezers, we find that the monomeric amphiphile is able to trigger both a fast phase change and then a subsequent transition from nematic to isotropic. We next include sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a standard surfactant, with the novel amphiphilic molecules to test phase transitioning when both were present. As seen previously, we find that the activity of SDS at the surface can result in configuration changes with hysteresis. We find that the presence of the polymeric amphiphile reverses the hysteresis previously observed during such transitions. This work demonstrates a variety of phase and configuration changes of liquid crystals that can be controlled by multiple exogenous chemical triggers.
Keywords:liquid crystals  emulsions  rod-shaped molecules
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