Structural Transition in Liquid Crystal Bubbles Generated from Fluidic Nanocellulose Colloids.

Abstract

The structural transition in micrometer-sized liquid crystal bubbles (LCBs) derived from rod-like cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was studied. The CNC-based LCBs were suspended in nematic or chiral nematic liquid-crystalline CNCs, which generated topological defects and distinct birefringent textures around them. The ordering and structure of the LCBs shifted from a nematic to chiral nematic arrangement as water evaporation progressed. These packed LCBs exhibited a specific photonic cross-communication property that is due to a combination of Bragg reflection and bubble curvature and size.