Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are water-based materials composed of self-assembled cylindrical aggregates. Their behavior under flow is poorly understood, and quantitatively resolving the optical retardance of the flowing liquid crystal has so far been limited by the imaging speed of current p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138472 |
| _version_ | 1826213586732580864 |
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| author | Zhang, Qing Zhang, Rui Ge, Baoliang Yaqoob, Zahid So, Peter TC Bischofberger, Irmgard |
| author_facet | Zhang, Qing Zhang, Rui Ge, Baoliang Yaqoob, Zahid So, Peter TC Bischofberger, Irmgard |
| author_sort | Zhang, Qing |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are water-based materials composed of self-assembled cylindrical aggregates. Their behavior under flow is poorly understood, and quantitatively resolving the optical retardance of the flowing liquid crystal has so far been limited by the imaging speed of current polarization-resolved imaging techniques. Here, we employ a single-shot quantitative polarization imaging method, termed polarized shearing interference microscopy, to quantify the spatial distribution and the dynamics of the structures emerging in nematic disodium cromoglycate solutions in a microfluidic channel. We show that pure-twist disclination loops nucleate in the bulk flow over a range of shear rates. These loops are elongated in the flow direction and exhibit a constant aspect ratio that is governed by the nonnegligible splay-bend anisotropy at the loop boundary. The size of the loops is set by the balance between nucleation forces and annihilation forces acting on the disclination. The fluctuations of the pure-twist disclination loops reflect the tumbling character of nematic disodium cromoglycate. Our study, including experiment, simulation, and scaling analysis, provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure and dynamics of pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals and might open new routes for using these materials to control assembly and flow of biological systems or particles in microfluidic devices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:51:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/138472 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T15:51:36Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1384722022-03-01T03:48:19Z Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals Zhang, Qing Zhang, Rui Ge, Baoliang Yaqoob, Zahid So, Peter TC Bischofberger, Irmgard Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are water-based materials composed of self-assembled cylindrical aggregates. Their behavior under flow is poorly understood, and quantitatively resolving the optical retardance of the flowing liquid crystal has so far been limited by the imaging speed of current polarization-resolved imaging techniques. Here, we employ a single-shot quantitative polarization imaging method, termed polarized shearing interference microscopy, to quantify the spatial distribution and the dynamics of the structures emerging in nematic disodium cromoglycate solutions in a microfluidic channel. We show that pure-twist disclination loops nucleate in the bulk flow over a range of shear rates. These loops are elongated in the flow direction and exhibit a constant aspect ratio that is governed by the nonnegligible splay-bend anisotropy at the loop boundary. The size of the loops is set by the balance between nucleation forces and annihilation forces acting on the disclination. The fluctuations of the pure-twist disclination loops reflect the tumbling character of nematic disodium cromoglycate. Our study, including experiment, simulation, and scaling analysis, provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure and dynamics of pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals and might open new routes for using these materials to control assembly and flow of biological systems or particles in microfluidic devices. 2021-12-14T13:14:41Z 2021-12-14T13:14:41Z 2021-08-31 2021-12-14T13:11:50Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138472 Zhang, Qing, Zhang, Rui, Ge, Baoliang, Yaqoob, Zahid, So, Peter TC et al. 2021. "Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (35). en 10.1073/pnas.2108361118 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences PNAS |
| spellingShingle | Zhang, Qing Zhang, Rui Ge, Baoliang Yaqoob, Zahid So, Peter TC Bischofberger, Irmgard Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title | Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title_full | Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title_fullStr | Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title_short | Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| title_sort | structures and topological defects in pressure driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138472 |
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