High order nonlinear electrophoresis in nematic liquid crystal

ORAL

Abstract

Electrophoresis is motion of particles relative to a surrounding fluid in a uniform electric field. In anisotropic fluids such as liquid crystals (LC) the particle’s velocity growth with the square of the electric field strength [1]. As a result, reversing polarity of the electric field does not change the direction of propulsion, which makes it possible to drive a sustained transport by an alternating-current (AC) field [2]. Here we report a higher-order nonlinear electrophoresis in which the velocity acquires a component proportional to the fourth power of the electric field strength. The effect is observed in a nematic LC with negative anisotropy of dielectric permittivity. The electric field realigns the director around the colloidal particle and thus modifies the geometry of spatial charge separation and the viscous drag; as a result, the velocity dependence on the field acquires higher-order nonlinearities.
[1] Lavrentovich et al., Nature 467, 947 (2010).
[2] Lazo et al., Phil Trans R Soc A 371, 20120255 (2013).

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Presenters

  • Mojtaba Rajabi

    Kent State University, Department of Physics, Kent State University

Authors

  • Mojtaba Rajabi

    Kent State University, Department of Physics, Kent State University

  • Taras Turiv

    Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA, Advanced Materials Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy, Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University

  • O D Lavrentovich

    Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA, Department of Physics and Advanced Materials Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Physics Department, Kent State University, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute / Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Department of Physics, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University