title: Rupture and recoil of bent-core liquid crystal filaments.
abstract: The recoil process of free-standing liquid crystal filaments is investigated experimentally and theoretically. We focus on two aspects, the contraction speed of the filament and a spontaneously formed undulation instability. At the moment of rupture, the filaments buckle similarly to the classical Euler buckling of elastic rods. The tip velocity decays with decreasing filament length. The wavelength of buckling affinely decreases with the retracting filament tip. The energy gain related to the decrease of the total length and surface area of the filaments is mainly dissipated by layer rearrangements during thickening of the fibre. A flow back into the meniscus is relevant only in the final stage of the recoil process. We introduce a model for the quantitative description of the filament retraction speed. The dynamics of this recoil behaviour may find relevance as a model for biology-related filaments.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. ajakli@kent.edu.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Salili
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. ralf.stannarius@ovgu.de.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ostapenko
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. ajakli@kent.edu.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kress
authors.affiliation: Leidos, 3745 Pentagon Blvd., Beavercreek, OH 45431, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Department of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, von-Danckelmann-Platz 4, 06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. ralf.stannarius@ovgu.de.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harth
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. ralf.stannarius@ovgu.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eremin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. ralf.stannarius@ovgu.de.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stannarius
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. ajakli@kent.edu.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jákli