title: Electric-field-induced motion of polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal flakes in a moderately conductive fluid.
abstract: Polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal flakes suspended in a fluid with nonnegligible conductivity can exhibit motion in the presence of an ac electric field. The plateletlike particles with a Grandjean texture initially lie parallel to the cell substrates and exhibit a strong selective reflection that is diminished or extinguished as the flakes move. Flake motion was seen within a specific frequency bandwidth in an electric field as low as 5 mV(rms)/microm. Flakes reoriented about their longest axis to align parallel to theapplied field, and a rise time of 560 ms was seen in a 40-mV(rms)/microm field at 100 Hz.
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester, New York 14623-1299, USA. tkos@lle.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Tanya Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Kosc
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lambropoulos
authors.forename: Sadeg M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Faris