Direct observation of dynamic heterogeneity near phase transition points by the fluctuation microscopy

Abstract

I am developing a new type of fluctuation microscopy that directly visualizes "dynamic heterogeneity" which are spatial variations in the mobility of internal degrees of freedom within a material. In this report, I will discuss the photopolymerization process of liquid crystalline polymers and gels mixed with acrylate molecules, the glass transition of polymerized polymer liquid crystals, and the dynamics of critical fluctuations near the I-N phase transition point using the fluctuation microscope.