Directional dragging of silver nanowires in liquid crystals via optical gradient forces

The optical gradient force was used to drag the silver nanowires (AgNWs) directly in liquid crystals (LCs), which possess fluidity, anisotropy, and excellent opto-electronic properties, making them ideal carriers for micro-nano structures. By employing a spatial light modulator (SLM) to generate Airy beams, the optical gradient force was applied to AgNWs suspended in the LCs, causing directional movement and ordered arrangement. The experimental results demonstrated that effective manipulation and directional dragging of AgNWs can be achieved under specific optical conditions. Moreover, the self-healing characteristics of the Airy beam were also observed. This approach, requiring no complex fluid dynamics, showed low costs and great flexibility, which is promising in the manipulation of micro-nano structures for opto-electronic and biological devices.