Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 20: Microswimmers, Active Liquids II (joint DY/BP/CPP)

BP 20.8: Talk

Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 11:30–11:45, BH-N 128

Liquid crystal droplets as artificial microswimmers — Carsten Krüger, Gunnar Klös, Chenyu Jin, Corinna C. Maass, •Christian Bahr, and Stephan Herminghaus — Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS), 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Droplets of common nematic mesogens show self-propelled motion (velocity up to 50 µm/s, typical droplet diameter 10 - 100 µm) when placed into aqueous phases containing ionic surfactants at concentrations considerably above the critical micelle concentration [1]. The self-propelled motion is fueled by the solubilization of the nematic droplet in the aqueous phase, resulting finally in the formation of a microemulsion in which all mesogenic molecules have been transferred from the initial droplet into the micelles of the ionic surfactant.

We report results concerning the dependence of the swimming behavior on various parameters (droplet size, surfactant concentration, etc.), the trajectories in different confinements, the collective behavior, and the influence of the nematic or isotropic state of the mesogenic droplets.

[1] S. Herminghaus, C. C. Maass, C. Krüger, S. Thutupalli, L. Goehring, and C. Bahr, Soft Matter 10, 7008 (2014).