Experimental studies on self-propulsion of deformable 5CB liquid crystal droplets in micellar solution

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe 5CB liquid crystal droplets were found to self-propel when suspended in a micellar solution of surfactant. We report experimental studies on the motion of these droplets in a quasi-two-dimensional geometry. The droplets exhibit directed, self-avoiding, or random coiling trajectories depending on the size of the droplets compared to the height of the sample cell. The flattened droplets showed smoother trajectories and with self-crossing. Interestingly, the large flattened droplets were found to exhibit deformation of their apparent cross-section during their self-propulsive motion. These unique properties of self-propulsion of 5CB liquid crystal droplets in surfactant solution can provide a new opportunity to study active biomimetic systems.