Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2025

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light
Published on: September 20, 2017
Synthetic Active Liquid Crystals Powered by Acoustic Waves.
Andrey Sokolov1, Jaideep Katuri1, Juan J de Pablo1,2
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA.
Researchers created a synthetic active liquid crystal using ultrasonic waves. This novel material offers stable properties and tunable defect dynamics for advanced microfluidic systems.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Active nematic materials exhibit microscopic activity and orientational order.
- Existing active nematics are primarily biological, facing degradation and variability issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To realize a fully synthetic active liquid crystal.
- To energize a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal using ultrasonic waves.
- To achieve precise control over activity and explore new phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ultrasonic waves to energize a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal.
- Investigated the conversion of acoustic energy into microscopic stresses.
- Observed the material's response to varying activity levels.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a synthetic active liquid crystal free from biological limitations.
- Observed disruption of nematic order, undulation instability, and defect proliferation.
- Revealed the emergence of persistent vortices in the director field at high activity.
Conclusions:
- The synthetic active liquid crystal offers stable properties and tunable defect dynamics.
- This system is crucial for developing reconfigurable microfluidic devices.
- Provides a foundation for designing externally energized active liquid crystals.
More Related Videos
10:14Fabrication and Operation of Acoustofluidic Devices Supporting Bulk Acoustic Standing Waves for Sheathless Focusing of Particles
Published on: March 6, 2016
07:23Fabrication of Nanoheight Channels Incorporating Surface Acoustic Wave Actuation via Lithium Niobate for Acoustic Nanofluidics
Published on: February 5, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Deriving the Speed of Sound in a Liquid
The speed of sound in fluids can be derived by considering a mechanical wave...
Sound Waves: Interference
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Propagation of Waves
Consider a scenario where a wave propagates from a string of low linear mass density to a string of high linear mass density. In such a case, the reflected wave is out of phase with respect to the incident wave, however the...