Self-organized stripe domain structure in liquid crystal gels

Abstract

In liquid crystal nematic gels, self-organized stripe domains can appear in response to certain external stimuli. To gain experimental insights into their formation mechanism, we studied the difference between stripes formed by heating and by applying an electric field, measuring two-dimensional maps of local director characteristics and light transmission using microscope. Director and transmission maps of stripes formed under an electric field are strongly correlated; maps of stripes formed by heating are not. This suggests that the kinetic pathways to gelation in the same physical system are distinct depending on selection of stimulus.