• Emulsions typically form with spherical boundaries due to the isotropic nature of surface tension. When a liquid crystal phase separates into two distinct phases highly non-spherical boundaries can be produced due to the elastic forces of liquid crystal and anisotropic surface tension which is director dependent. SEM imaging allows us to visualize the two distinct phases of liquid crystal and observe interesting responses to vacuum and electron beam excitation. Heating the sample also reveals the existence of two bubble phase transitions associated with the two liquid crystal phases. Utilizing the potential of liquid crystal phase separation can lead to new materials such as hexagonal blue phase, stable cholesteric tactoids and improve the design of other blue phase mixtures.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Fysikalisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Physical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

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kon (subject category)