Sculpting stable structures in pure liquids

Science Advances
Tadej EmeršičUroš Tkalec

Abstract

Pure liquids in thermodynamic equilibrium are structurally homogeneous. In liquid crystals, flow and light pulses are used to create reconfigurable domains with polar order. Moreover, through careful engineering of concerted microfluidic flows and localized optothermal fields, it is possible to achieve complete control over the nucleation, growth, and shape of such domains. Experiments, theory, and simulations indicate that the resulting structures can be stabilized indefinitely, provided the liquids are maintained in a controlled nonequilibrium state. The resulting sculpted liquids could find applications in microfluidic devices for selective encapsulation of solutes and particles into optically active compartments that interact with external stimuli.

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Citations

Jan 4, 2020·Nature Communications·Simon ČoparUroš Tkalec
Jan 31, 2020·Scientific Reports·Žiga Kos, Miha Ravnik
Apr 16, 2020·Physical Review. E·Xingzhou Tang, Jonathan V Selinger
Mar 7, 2020·Science·Guillaume DuclosZvonimir Dogic
Oct 25, 2020·Materials·Pawel Pieranski, Maria Helena Godinho
Aug 28, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Qing ZhangIrmgard Bischofberger

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
light microscopy

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