Marangoni flow and surface tensnion in cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals

Abstract

In several cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals, the Marangoni flow under temperature gradient was measured using the fluorescence photo-bleaching method. The Marangoni flow was observed in the coexisting state of two different phases, and it was found that the flow direction changed depending on the sample and coating material on the substrate. Based on these results, we give a model that can explain the flow direction in terms of surface tension and contact angle.