Shear-induced mesostructures in biaxial liquid crystals

Area of Science:

• Polymer Science
• Rheology
• Soft Matter Physics

Background:

• Liquid crystalline polymers exhibit complex behaviors influenced by molecular orientation.
• Understanding their response to external forces like shear is crucial for material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the nematodynamics of sheared biaxial liquid crystalline polymers.
• Identify stable mesoscopic states and robust structures under shear flow.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a hydrodynamical kinetic theory to model the system.
• Solved the Smoluchowski equation using the Galerkin method.
• Explored various material parameters and shear rates.

Main Results:

• Discovered that shear flow breaks rotational symmetry, leading to biaxial flow-aligning steady states.
• Observed logrolling states, out-of-plane steady states, and exotic time-periodic motions.
• Identified chaotic motions in specific parameter and shear rate regimes.

Conclusions:

• Shear flow induces a rich variety of ordered and disordered states in biaxial liquid crystalline polymers.
• The findings provide insights into the fundamental physics governing polymer fluid dynamics.
• This research contributes to understanding structure formation in complex fluids.