Controllable particle migration in liquid crystal flows
Soft Condensed Matter
2022-09-26 v1 Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
We observe novel positional control of a colloidal particle in microchannel flow of a nematic liquid crystal. Lattice Boltzmann simulations show multiple equilibrium particle positions, the existence and position of which are tunable using the driving pressure, in direct contrast to the classical Segre-Silberberg effect in isotropic liquids. In addition, particle migration in nematic flow occurs an order of magnitude faster. These new equilibria are determined through a balance of elastic forces, hydrodynamic lift and drag as well as order-flow interactions through the defect structure around the particle.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2208.12221,
title = {Controllable particle migration in liquid crystal flows},
author = {Magdalena Lesniewska and Nigel Mottram and Oliver Henrich},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.12221},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
13 pages, 10 figures, 1 table; to be published in Soft Matter