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Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals
Name
e2108361118.full.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.57 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5773498057ac077d293a7c1eb69b47cf
Author(s)
Zhang, Qing
Zhang, Rui
Ge, Baoliang
Yaqoob, Zahid
So, Peter TC
Bischofberger, Irmgard
Date Issued
August 31, 2021
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Citation
Zhang, Qing, Zhang, Rui, Ge, Baoliang, Yaqoob, Zahid, So, Peter TC et al. 2021. "Structures and topological defects in pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (35).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are water-based materials composed of self-assembled cylindrical aggregates. Their behavior under flow is poorly understood, and quantitatively resolving the optical retardance of the flowing liquid crystal has so far been limited by the imaging speed of current polarization-resolved imaging techniques. Here, we employ a single-shot quantitative polarization imaging method, termed polarized shearing interference microscopy, to quantify the spatial distribution and the dynamics of the structures emerging in nematic disodium cromoglycate solutions in a microfluidic channel. We show that pure-twist disclination loops nucleate in the bulk flow over a range of shear rates. These loops are elongated in the flow direction and exhibit a constant aspect ratio that is governed by the nonnegligible splay-bend anisotropy at the loop boundary. The size of the loops is set by the balance between nucleation forces and annihilation forces acting on the disclination. The fluctuations of the pure-twist disclination loops reflect the tumbling character of nematic disodium cromoglycate. Our study, including experiment, simulation, and scaling analysis, provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure and dynamics of pressure-driven lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals and might open new routes for using these materials to control assembly and flow of biological systems or particles in microfluidic devices.
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DOI of Published Version
10.1073/pnas.2108361118
