2C05 Light-Induced Assembly of Microdroplet Arrays in Nematic Emulsions

Abstract

Dynamic manipulation of glycerol droplets could be achieved by light in azobenzene-doped nematic liquid crystals. On irradiation of 365-nm light, the trans-cis photoisomerization drives a directional motion of the droplets towards the cis-rich region and assembled close-packed two-dimensional hexagonal colloidal crystals. This behavior is mainly attributed to the reduction of the droplet-LC interfacial tension, associated with the enhanced surface-activity of cis isomers. We also performed photochemical assembly of tailored droplet arrays by projection of computer-generated images on the samples. The photoinduced manipulation of droplets will provide a versatile approach to micro-structuring of LC devices.