Light-Activated Motion, Geometry- and Confinement-Induced Optical Effects of 2D Platelets in a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Antonio Tavera-Vázquez, Danai Montalvan-Sorrosa, Gustavo Perez-Lemus, Otilio E. Rodriguez-Lopez, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Vinothan N. Manoharan, Juan J. de Pablo
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Abstract

Motile liquid crystal (LC) colloids show peculiar behavior due to the high sensitivity to external stimuli driven by the LC elastic and surface effects. However, few studies focus on harnessing the LC phase transitions to propel colloidal inclusions by the nematic-isotropic (NI) interface. We engineer a quasi-2D active system consisting of solid micron-sized light-absorbent platelets immersed in a thermotropic nematic LC. The platelets self-propel in the presence of light while self-inducing a localized NI phase transition. The sample's temperature, light intensity, and confinement determine three different regimes: a 2D large regime where the platelet-isotropic phase bubble is static and the NI interface remains stable; a compact motile-2D regime where the NI interface lies closer to the platelet's contour; and a motile-3D-confinement regime characterized by the emergence of multipolar configurations of the LC. We perform continuum-theory simulations that predict stationary platelet-LC states when confined in 3D. Our study in an intrinsically far-from-equilibrium landscape is crucial for designing simple synthetic systems that contribute to our understanding of harnessing liquid crystals' phase transitions to propel colloidal inclusions and trigger tunable topological reconfigurations leading to photonic responses.
向列液晶中二维小板的光激活运动、几何和致密光学效应
运动液晶胶体由于对液晶弹性和表面效应驱动的外部刺激具有高度敏感性而表现出奇特的行为。然而,很少有研究关注利用液晶相变通过向列-各向同性(NI)界面推动胶体内含物。我们设计了由浸入热致性向列液相中的固体微米级吸光小板组成的水生二维活性系统。小板在光的作用下自我推进,同时自我诱导局部的 NI 相变。样品的温度、光照强度和封闭性决定了三种不同的状态:二维大状态,其中血小板-各向同性相泡是静态的,NI 界面保持稳定;二维紧凑运动状态,其中 NI 界面更接近于血小板的轮廓;以及三维封闭状态,其特征是 LC 的多极配置的出现。我们进行了连续理论模拟,预测了在三维约束下血小板-低密度层的稳态。我们在远离平衡的内在环境中进行的研究对于设计模拟合成系统至关重要,有助于我们理解如何利用液晶的相变推动胶体夹杂物并触发可调的拓扑重构,从而产生光子响应。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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