Erik Walker with Prof. Charles Rosenblatt

Control of an Oil Drop Formation in a Liquid Crystal Matrix

When an oil and liquid crystal mixture is cooled quickly from high temperatures, phase separation may occur.  Oil droplets appear and may form a pearl-like chain along the director.  I am trying to control the direction of the oil drop formation.  By heating the oil and liquid crystal mixture to the isotropic phase and cooling it slowly to the nematic phase, we can observe the phase separation of the oil and subsequent chain formation.