Eastern Mediterranean Chemical Engineering Conferences 9, Ankara, Turkey, 30 August - 01 September 2018, pp.1
We aimed to develop a new method for the synthesis of liquid
crystal templated microparticles. In this study, polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS)
masks which have protrusions in micro dimensions were used to template
polyvinylalcohol (PVA) microwells. The liquid crystal mixtures
of a reactive mesogen (RM257) and a nonreactive liquid crystal (E7) were filled into PVA microwells. The solution was then
photopolymerized using a UV light source. After polymerization, microparticles
were collected by dissolving PVA microwell mold in water. We characterized the
configurations of the LCs and found that two LC defects analogous to the boojum
defects in bipolar LC droplets were obtained in LCs confined in circular
microwells. After photopolymerization, the particles were subjected to an extraction
of the unreacted LCs using ethanol. This step allowed the microparticles to
shrink and maintain a hyperbolic paraboloid (saddle) shaped particles
consistent with the initial anchoring conditions at the interfaces of the
microwells and anisotropic shrinkage of similar systems.[1] Characterization of the particles synthesized at different
conditions were done by using polarized microscope.
We aimed to develop a new method for the synthesis of liquid
crystal templated microparticles. In this study, polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS)
masks which have protrusions in micro dimensions were used to template
polyvinylalcohol (PVA) microwells. The liquid crystal mixtures
of a reactive mesogen (RM257) and a nonreactive liquid crystal (E7) were filled into PVA microwells. The solution was then
photopolymerized using a UV light source. After polymerization, microparticles
were collected by dissolving PVA microwell mold in water. We characterized the
configurations of the LCs and found that two LC defects analogous to the boojum
defects in bipolar LC droplets were obtained in LCs confined in circular
microwells. After photopolymerization, the particles were subjected to an extraction
of the unreacted LCs using ethanol. This step allowed the microparticles to
shrink and maintain a hyperbolic paraboloid (saddle) shaped particles
consistent with the initial anchoring conditions at the interfaces of the
microwells and anisotropic shrinkage of similar systems.[1] Characterization of the particles synthesized at different
conditions were done by using polarized microscope.