Electric-field-induced motion of polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal flakes in a moderately conductive fluid.
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.
Kosc
Tanya Z
TZ
University of Rochester, New York 14623-1299, USA. tkos@lle.rochester.edu
Marshall
Kenneth L
KL
Jacobs
Stephen D
SD
Lambropoulos
John C
JC
Faris
Sadeg M
SM