Slipperyinterface and molecluar pinion gear

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26610132
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biological physics/Chemical physics/Soft matter physics
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Jun 京都大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (10200809)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 液晶 / アンカリング / バックフロー / 回転と並進運動 / ラックアンドピニオン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We demonstrated that the drastic reduction of the driving voltage (<1 order ~10V/10micro) by introducing the slippery interface of the liquid walls under interdigitated in-plane electrodes keeping the nature of the ultra-fast switching dynamics. Slippery interfaces are artificially designed and spontaneously realized by the macroscopic phase separation due to the solvent effects on the liquid crystals. Smooth motion of the C-director is originated by the lubrication of the molecular motion on the slippery liquid interfaces. We have identified the clear change of the mechanism of the electro-optic response of SmC* related to helix motion by analyzing the motion of the Cano’s wedge by polarizing microscope. We discussed about the switching dynamics of SmC* on the slippery interfaces both intra and inter helix unwinding/rewinding motions.

Free Research Field

ソフトマター物理学