Conventional liquid crystal elastomer(LCE)-based robots are limited by the need for complex controllers and bulky power supplies,restricting their use in microrobots and soft robots.This paper introduces a novel light...Conventional liquid crystal elastomer(LCE)-based robots are limited by the need for complex controllers and bulky power supplies,restricting their use in microrobots and soft robots.This paper introduces a novel light-powered dicycle that uses an LCE rod,enabling self-rolling by harvesting energy from the environment.The LCE rod serves as the driving force,with energy being supplied by a line light source.Employing a dynamic LCE model,we calculate the transverse curvature of the LCE rod after deformation,as well as the driving moment generated by the shift in a rod’s center of gravity,which allows the dicycle to roll on its own.Through extensive numerical simulations,we identify the correlations between the angular velocity of the dicycle and the key system parameters,specifically the light intensity,LCE rod length,light penetration depth,overall mass of the dicycle,rolling friction coefficient,and wheel radius.Further,the experimental verification is the same as the theoretical result.This proposed light-powered self-rolling dicycle comes with the benefits of the simple structure,the convenient control,the stationary light source,and the small luminous area of the light source.It not only demonstrates self-sustaining oscillations based on active materials,but also highlights the great potential of light-responsive LCE rods in applications such as robotics,aerospace,healthcare,and automation.展开更多
A programmable low-profile array antenna based on nematic liquid crystals(NLCs)is proposed.Each antenna unit comprises a square patch radiating structure and a tunable NLC-based phase shifter capable of achieving a ph...A programmable low-profile array antenna based on nematic liquid crystals(NLCs)is proposed.Each antenna unit comprises a square patch radiating structure and a tunable NLC-based phase shifter capable of achieving a phase shift exceeding 360°with high linearity.First,the above 64 antenna units are periodically arranged into an 8×8 NLC-based antenna array,and the bias voltage of the NLC-based phase shifter loaded on the antenna unit is adjusted through the control of the field-programmable gate array(FPGA)programming sequences.This configuration enables precise phase changes for all 64 channels.Numerical simulation,sample processing,and experimental measurements of the antenna array are conducted to validate the performance of the antenna.The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed antenna performs well within the frequency range of 19.5-20.5 GHz,with a 3 dB relative bandwidth of 10%and a maximum main lobe gain of 14.1 dBi.A maximum scanning angle of±34°is achieved through the adjustment of the FPGA programming sequence.This NLC-based programmable array antenna shows promising potential for applications in satellite communication.展开更多
Metasurfaces have opened the door to next-generation optical devices due to their ability to dramatically modulate electromagnetic waves at will using periodically arranged nanostructures.However,metasurfaces typicall...Metasurfaces have opened the door to next-generation optical devices due to their ability to dramatically modulate electromagnetic waves at will using periodically arranged nanostructures.However,metasurfaces typically have static optical responses with fixed geometries of nanostructures,which poses challenges for implementing transition to technology by replacing conventional optical components.To solve this problem,liquid crystals(LCs)have been actively employed for designing tunable metasurfaces using their adjustable birefringent in real time.Here,we review recent studies on LCpowered tunable metasurfaces,which are categorized as wavefront tuning and spectral tuning.Compared to numerous reviews on tunable metasurfaces,this review intensively explores recent development of LC-integrated metasurfaces.At the end of this review,we briefly introduce the latest research trends on LC-powered metasurfaces and suggest further directions for improving LCs.We hope that this review will accelerate the development of new and innovative LC-powered devices.展开更多
Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares.However,the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since...Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares.However,the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since the amount of available information channels is limited.Herein,we propose and demonstrate an optical secret sharing framework based on the multi-dimensional multiplexing liquid crystal(LC)holograms.The LC holograms are used as spatially separated shares to carry secret images.The polarization of the incident light and the distance between different shares are served as secret keys,which can significantly improve the information security and capacity.Besides,the decryption condition is also restricted by the applied external voltage due to the variant diffraction efficiency,which further increases the information security.In implementation,an artificial neural network(ANN)model is developed to carefully design the phase distribution of each LC hologram.With the advantage of high security,high capacity and simple configuration,our optical secret sharing framework has great potentials in optical encryption and dynamic holographic display.展开更多
Smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers are a class of soft photonic crystals with periodic nanostructures.There are two kinds of chiral liquid crystal elastomers with structural colors:cholesteric liquid crystal elast...Smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers are a class of soft photonic crystals with periodic nanostructures.There are two kinds of chiral liquid crystal elastomers with structural colors:cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers with a one-dimensional helical nanostructure and blue-phase liquid crystal elastomers with a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanostructure.The self-assembled nanostructure of chiral liquid crystal elastomers can be dynamically controlled under external stimulation,and the reflected color can be adjusted throughout the visible light range.Along with the development of innovative material systems and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies,researchers have proposed diverse strategies to design and synthesize chiral liquid crystal elastomers and have thoroughly investigated their properties and potential applications.Here,we provide a systematic review of the progress in the design and fabrication of smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers,focusing on the cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers via surface-enforced alignment,bar coating,3D printing,anisotropic deswelling methods as well as the three-dimensional selfassembly of blue-phase liquid crystal elastomers without additional alignment.Smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers are able to respond quickly to external stimuli and have a wide range of applications in areas such as adaptive optics,color-changing camouflage,soft robotics,and information encryption.This review concludes with a perspective on the opportunities and challenges for the future development of smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers.展开更多
In order to study the action mechanism of Sacha Inchi polypeptide in liquid crystal emulsion,oil-in-water liquid crystal emulsions with Sacha Inchi fermented polypeptide as the active component were prepared.The micro...In order to study the action mechanism of Sacha Inchi polypeptide in liquid crystal emulsion,oil-in-water liquid crystal emulsions with Sacha Inchi fermented polypeptide as the active component were prepared.The microstructures,particle sizes,stabilities,thermodynamic properties,and rheological properties of liquid crystal emulsions with different concentrations of the fermentation products were observed by Polarizing microscope,Particle size meter,Thermogravimetric differential thermal synchronous measurement system,and Rheometer,respectively.The results showed that the average particle size of fermented peptide liquid crystal emulsion was(25.7±2.8)μm,and the liquid crystal structure was complete and stable.The content of bound water and liquid crystal in the emulsion with 1%Sacha Inchi polypeptide were higher than those in the blank emulsion and the emulsions with 3%and 5%Sacha Inchi polypeptide.Rheological results indicated that the viscosity of liquid crystal emulsion with the change curve of shear rate registered the shear thinning phenomenon,which belongs to non-Newtonian fluid.The hysteresis area,energy storage modulus,and loss modulus of the 1%additive amount of liquid crystal emulsion were larger than those of the blank emulsion and the emulsions with 3%and 5%Sacha Inchi polypeptide,indicating greater thixotropy and stronger shear resistance.The hydrophilic amino acid residues of the peptide in the 1%additive amount of the emulsion were combined with the water phase,while the hydrophobic amino acid residues of the peptide entered the oil phase,which formed a viscoelastic film at the oil-water interface,so that the liquid crystal emulsion had a more stable gel network structure.展开更多
The modulation of dielectric anisotropy(△ε)is pivotal for elucidating molecular interactions and directing the alignment of liquid crystals.In this study,we combine liquid crystals with opposing dielectric anisotrop...The modulation of dielectric anisotropy(△ε)is pivotal for elucidating molecular interactions and directing the alignment of liquid crystals.In this study,we combine liquid crystals with opposing dielectric anisotropies to explore the impact of varying concentrations on their properties.We report the sign-reversal of△εin both the nematic and smectic A phases of these mixed liquid crystals,alongside a dual-frequency behaviour across a broad temperature spectrum.Our research further quantifies the influence of mixture ratios under various temperatures and electric field frequencies.This exploration may pave the way for the discovery of new physical phenomena.展开更多
The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,wh...The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,which make it difficult to capture and manipulate the phase transition process.In this study,we observed the evolution of small droplets during the ISO–N phase transition in ferroelectric nematic(NF)LC RM734.After doping with metal nanoparticles(NPs),the temperature range of the phase transition broadened,and the droplets formed during the phase transition remained stable,with their diameter increasing linearly with temperature.In addition,droplets doped with NPs can be well controlled by an external electric field.This discovery not only aids in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of LC phase transitions but also provides a simple alternative method for preparing droplets,which is potentially valuable for applications in optoelectronic devices and sensors.展开更多
Self-oscillating systems abound in the natural world and offer substantial potential for applications in controllers,micro-motors,medical equipments,and so on.Currently,numerical methods have been widely utilized for ...Self-oscillating systems abound in the natural world and offer substantial potential for applications in controllers,micro-motors,medical equipments,and so on.Currently,numerical methods have been widely utilized for obtaining the characteristics of self-oscillation including amplitude and frequency.However,numerical methods are burdened by intricate computations and limited precision,hindering comprehensive investigations into self-oscillating systems.In this paper,the stability of a liquid crystal elastomer fiber self-oscillating system under a linear temperature field is studied,and analytical solutions for the amplitude and frequency are determined.Initially,we establish the governing equations of self-oscillation,elucidate two motion regimes,and reveal the underlying mechanism.Subsequently,we conduct a stability analysis and employ a multi-scale method to obtain the analytical solutions for the amplitude and frequency.The results show agreement between the multi-scale and numerical methods.This research contributes to the examination of diverse self-oscillating systems and advances the theoretical analysis of self-oscillating systems rooted in active materials.展开更多
In this paper,we are concerned with a three-dimensional non-isothermal model for the compressible nematic liquid crystal flows in a periodic domain.Under some smallness and structural assumptions imposed on the time-p...In this paper,we are concerned with a three-dimensional non-isothermal model for the compressible nematic liquid crystal flows in a periodic domain.Under some smallness and structural assumptions imposed on the time-periodic force,we establish the existence of the time-periodic solutions to the system by using a regularized approximation scheme and the topological degree theory.We also prove a uniqueness result via energy estimates.展开更多
In this paper,we establish some regularity conditions on the density and velocity fields to guarantee the energy conservation of the weak solutions for the three-dimensional compressible nematic liquid crystal flow in...In this paper,we establish some regularity conditions on the density and velocity fields to guarantee the energy conservation of the weak solutions for the three-dimensional compressible nematic liquid crystal flow in the periodic domain.展开更多
Traditional heat conductive epoxy composites often fall short in meeting the escalating heat dissipation demands of large-power,high-frequency,and highvoltage insulating packaging applications,due to the challenge of ...Traditional heat conductive epoxy composites often fall short in meeting the escalating heat dissipation demands of large-power,high-frequency,and highvoltage insulating packaging applications,due to the challenge of achieving high thermal conductivity(k),desirable dielectric performance,and robust thermomechanical properties simultaneously.Liquid crystal epoxy(LCE)emerges as a unique epoxy,exhibiting inherently high k achieved through the self-assembly of mesogenic units into ordered structures.This characteristic enables liquid crystal epoxy to retain all the beneficial physical properties of pristine epoxy,while demonstrating a prominently enhanced k.As such,liquid crystal epoxy materials represent a promising solution for thermal management,with potential to tackle the critical issues and technical bottlenecks impeding the increasing miniaturization of microelectronic devices and electrical equipment.This article provides a comprehensive review on recent advances in liquid crystal epoxy,emphasizing the correlation between liquid crystal epoxy’s microscopic arrangement,organized mesoscopic domain,k,and relevant physical properties.The impacts of LC units and curing agents on the development of ordered structure are discussed,alongside the consequent effects on the k,dielectric,thermal,and other properties.External processing factors such as temperature and pressure and their influence on the formation and organization of structured domains are also evaluated.Finally,potential applications that could benefit from the emergence of liquid crystal epoxy are reviewed.展开更多
The hydrodynamics of active liquid crystal models has attracted much attention in recent years due to many applications of these models.In this paper,we study the weak-strong uniqueness for the Leray-Hopf type weak so...The hydrodynamics of active liquid crystal models has attracted much attention in recent years due to many applications of these models.In this paper,we study the weak-strong uniqueness for the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions to the incompressible active liquid crystals in R^(3).Our results yield that if there exists a strong solution,then it is unique among the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions associated with the same initial data.展开更多
Vector-based continuous models for nematic liquid crystals such as the Oseen-Frank model and the Ericksen model are relatively simpler compared with tensor-based models such as the Landau-de Gennes model.However,these...Vector-based continuous models for nematic liquid crystals such as the Oseen-Frank model and the Ericksen model are relatively simpler compared with tensor-based models such as the Landau-de Gennes model.However,these vector models do not respect head-to-tail symmetry.As a result,they cannot predict configurations corresponding to non-orientable line fields,particularly the half-integer defects.This paper confirms a significant discrepancy between the transition dynamics predicted by the Oseen-Frank vector model and Landau-de Gennes tensor model for liquid crystals confined in a two-dimensional square well.The so-called inner product weighted Laplacian operator is introduced as an anisotropic diffusion operator to evolve the Euler-Lagrange equations corresponding to the modified Oseen-Frank model.Numerical results show that both the predicted equilibrium configurations and the transition dynamics from one equilibrium states to another satisfies head-to-tail symmetry and can accommodate half-integer defects.The connections of anisotropic diffusion operator to the graph Laplacian and the discrete Lebwohl-Lasher model are also discussed.The numerical trick proposed in this paper can be considered a simple remedy to restore head-to-tail symmetry in vector models of liquid crystals,making them more applicable in situations such as systems containing half-integer defects where the traditional numerical approach would fail.展开更多
The purpose of study was to evaluate the effect of four powder including titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,silica,and kaolin on the properties of the liquid crystal emulsions.The results show that the addition of t...The purpose of study was to evaluate the effect of four powder including titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,silica,and kaolin on the properties of the liquid crystal emulsions.The results show that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the liquid crystal structure.In addition,the addition of Kaolin and silica have an effect on the stability of the liquid crystal structure.Sensory evaluation and Texture analyzer results shown that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the spreadability of liquid crystal system.The addition of silica and Kaolin was increased the hardness and adhesive of the liquid crystal system.Rheological experiments shown that the kaolin system had lower structural stability.the system with titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,and silica has good stability.This paper provides data support for the application of powders in the formulation of liquid crystal system,which aims to provide a data basis for the preparation and applications of liquid crystal emulsion.展开更多
Ordered mesoporous TiO2 （OMPT） was prepared by an evaporation induced self-assembly technique using liquid crystal as template. The key factors affecting the methylene blue （MB） oxidation efficiency were investiga...Ordered mesoporous TiO2 （OMPT） was prepared by an evaporation induced self-assembly technique using liquid crystal as template. The key factors affecting the methylene blue （MB） oxidation efficiency were investigated, including the initial concentration of MB, pH value and catalyst concentration. The results show that the obtained OMPT has high thermal stability and shows a 2D hexagonal mesostructure with the small particle size and high surface area, which lead to higher degradation efficiency than commercial P25 or nanoparticle TiO2 （NPT） fabricated by sol-gel process. The optimal conditions are 5 mg/L MB, pH 6 and 1.5 g/L OMPT for the fastest rate of MB degradation. Total organic carbon （TOC） analysis indicates complete mineralization of MB in 240 min by OMPT, with rate constant higher than NPT or P25.展开更多
Side chain liquid crystalline golysiloxanes conta ing biphenyl and benzyl ether mesogen were synthesized by the hydrosilation of poly(methylhydrcsiloxane) with 4-(4-allyloxybenzytoxy)-4'- methoxybiphenyl(M_1),4-(4...Side chain liquid crystalline golysiloxanes conta ing biphenyl and benzyl ether mesogen were synthesized by the hydrosilation of poly(methylhydrcsiloxane) with 4-(4-allyloxybenzytoxy)-4'- methoxybiphenyl(M_1),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'-ethoxybiphenyl(M_2),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'- propoxybiphenyl(M_3),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'-butoxybiphenyl(M_4),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'- pentyloxybiphenyl(M_5).The phase behavior of monomeric and polymeric liquid crystals was chararcterized by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarization microscopy.Both the monomeric and polymeric liquid crystals exhibit liquid crystal behaviors.展开更多
We propose an electronic model in Spice, instead of traditional mathematical analysis, for analyzing the performance of ferroelectric liquid crystal （FLC） under various working conditions. Using this equivalent circ...We propose an electronic model in Spice, instead of traditional mathematical analysis, for analyzing the performance of ferroelectric liquid crystal （FLC） under various working conditions. Using this equivalent circuit model,it is easy to simulate and analyze the behavior of an FLC layer in three different typical parameters,including temperature, input light wavelength, and the frequency of driving voltage. We conclude that the response velocity drops as the wavelength increases in the range of visible light, and for the parameter of temperature, the velocity reaches its lowest value when the temperature reaches a certain degree,meanwhile,the frequency of driving voltage exerts important effects on the response velocity only when the frequency is beyond a critical value. Excellent agreement is achieved between simulation and experimental results.展开更多
A polymerized lyotropic liquid crystal monomer of sodium 3,4,5-tris（11-acryloxyundecyloxy）- benzoate was synthesized by a convenient route starting from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid via esterification followed by et...A polymerized lyotropic liquid crystal monomer of sodium 3,4,5-tris（11-acryloxyundecyloxy）- benzoate was synthesized by a convenient route starting from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid via esterification followed by etherification, acylation and finally neutralization. The chemi- cal structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis. The self-organization behavior of the monomer with deionized water in methanol at room temperature was also demonstrated. The assemblies were char- acterized by polarized optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. The results show that a solution containing 80：20 of the monomer to water was found to be able to self-organize into Lamellar （La） phase and 92：8 with inverted hexagonal （H]I） phase, which was in ac- cordance with the theoretical calculation of critical packing parameter. It suggests that the concentration of the monomer was the key factor to influence assembly structure. Addi- tionally, the acrylate conversion with different photoinitiators and nanostructure retention after polymerization were investigated. The research shows that the acrylate conversion of the monomer with Darocur2959 could reach up to 78% when irradiated by 30 mW/cm2 UV light of 365 nm for 30 min characterized by Real-time FT-IR as well as the sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the La and HII phase nanostructures were both retained after polymerization.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12172001)the University Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Province of China(No.2022AH020029)+1 种基金the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(Nos.2208085Y01 and 2008085QA23)the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Science and Technology Project of Anhui Province of China(No.2023-YF129)。
文摘Conventional liquid crystal elastomer(LCE)-based robots are limited by the need for complex controllers and bulky power supplies,restricting their use in microrobots and soft robots.This paper introduces a novel light-powered dicycle that uses an LCE rod,enabling self-rolling by harvesting energy from the environment.The LCE rod serves as the driving force,with energy being supplied by a line light source.Employing a dynamic LCE model,we calculate the transverse curvature of the LCE rod after deformation,as well as the driving moment generated by the shift in a rod’s center of gravity,which allows the dicycle to roll on its own.Through extensive numerical simulations,we identify the correlations between the angular velocity of the dicycle and the key system parameters,specifically the light intensity,LCE rod length,light penetration depth,overall mass of the dicycle,rolling friction coefficient,and wheel radius.Further,the experimental verification is the same as the theoretical result.This proposed light-powered self-rolling dicycle comes with the benefits of the simple structure,the convenient control,the stationary light source,and the small luminous area of the light source.It not only demonstrates self-sustaining oscillations based on active materials,but also highlights the great potential of light-responsive LCE rods in applications such as robotics,aerospace,healthcare,and automation.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.62401168,62401139,62401170)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2023MD744197)+2 种基金Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF(No.GZC20230631)Project for Enhancing Young and Middle-aged Teacher’s Research Basis Ability in Colleges of Guangxi(No.2023KY0218)Guangxi Key Laboratory Foundation of Optoelectronic Information Processing(No.GD23102)。
文摘A programmable low-profile array antenna based on nematic liquid crystals(NLCs)is proposed.Each antenna unit comprises a square patch radiating structure and a tunable NLC-based phase shifter capable of achieving a phase shift exceeding 360°with high linearity.First,the above 64 antenna units are periodically arranged into an 8×8 NLC-based antenna array,and the bias voltage of the NLC-based phase shifter loaded on the antenna unit is adjusted through the control of the field-programmable gate array(FPGA)programming sequences.This configuration enables precise phase changes for all 64 channels.Numerical simulation,sample processing,and experimental measurements of the antenna array are conducted to validate the performance of the antenna.The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed antenna performs well within the frequency range of 19.5-20.5 GHz,with a 3 dB relative bandwidth of 10%and a maximum main lobe gain of 14.1 dBi.A maximum scanning angle of±34°is achieved through the adjustment of the FPGA programming sequence.This NLC-based programmable array antenna shows promising potential for applications in satellite communication.
基金supported by the POSCO-POSTECH-RIST Convergence Research Center program funded by POSCO,the Samsung Research Funding&Incubation Center for Future Technology grant(SRFC-IT1901-52)funded by Samsung Electronicsthe National Research Foundation(NRF)grants(NRF-2022M3C1A3081312,NRF-2022M3H4A1A-02074314,NRF-2022M3H4A1A02046445,NRF-2021M3H4A1A04086357,NRF-2019R1A5A8080290,RS-2024-00356928,RS-2023-00283667)funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Korean governmentthe Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology(KEIT)grant(No.1415185027/20019169,Alchemist project)funded by the Ministry of Trade,Industry and Energy(MOTIE)of the Korean government.H.Kim and J.Kim acknowledge the POSTECH Alchemist fellowship,the Asan Foundation Biomedical Science fellowship,and Presidential Science fellowship funded by the MSIT of the Korean government.
文摘Metasurfaces have opened the door to next-generation optical devices due to their ability to dramatically modulate electromagnetic waves at will using periodically arranged nanostructures.However,metasurfaces typically have static optical responses with fixed geometries of nanostructures,which poses challenges for implementing transition to technology by replacing conventional optical components.To solve this problem,liquid crystals(LCs)have been actively employed for designing tunable metasurfaces using their adjustable birefringent in real time.Here,we review recent studies on LCpowered tunable metasurfaces,which are categorized as wavefront tuning and spectral tuning.Compared to numerous reviews on tunable metasurfaces,this review intensively explores recent development of LC-integrated metasurfaces.At the end of this review,we briefly introduce the latest research trends on LC-powered metasurfaces and suggest further directions for improving LCs.We hope that this review will accelerate the development of new and innovative LC-powered devices.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.62005164,62222507,62175101,and 62005166)the Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (23ZR1443700)+3 种基金Shuguang Program of Shanghai Education Development Foundation and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (23SG41)the Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by CAST (No.20220042)Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Grant No.21DZ1100500)the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project,and the Shanghai Frontiers Science Center Program (2021-2025 No.20).
文摘Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares.However,the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since the amount of available information channels is limited.Herein,we propose and demonstrate an optical secret sharing framework based on the multi-dimensional multiplexing liquid crystal(LC)holograms.The LC holograms are used as spatially separated shares to carry secret images.The polarization of the incident light and the distance between different shares are served as secret keys,which can significantly improve the information security and capacity.Besides,the decryption condition is also restricted by the applied external voltage due to the variant diffraction efficiency,which further increases the information security.In implementation,an artificial neural network(ANN)model is developed to carefully design the phase distribution of each LC hologram.With the advantage of high security,high capacity and simple configuration,our optical secret sharing framework has great potentials in optical encryption and dynamic holographic display.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFB3812800 and 2022YFB3805702)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52173181,51973155 and 52203143)+1 种基金Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52130303)Tianjin Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(22JCJQJC00060).
文摘Smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers are a class of soft photonic crystals with periodic nanostructures.There are two kinds of chiral liquid crystal elastomers with structural colors:cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers with a one-dimensional helical nanostructure and blue-phase liquid crystal elastomers with a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanostructure.The self-assembled nanostructure of chiral liquid crystal elastomers can be dynamically controlled under external stimulation,and the reflected color can be adjusted throughout the visible light range.Along with the development of innovative material systems and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies,researchers have proposed diverse strategies to design and synthesize chiral liquid crystal elastomers and have thoroughly investigated their properties and potential applications.Here,we provide a systematic review of the progress in the design and fabrication of smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers,focusing on the cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers via surface-enforced alignment,bar coating,3D printing,anisotropic deswelling methods as well as the three-dimensional selfassembly of blue-phase liquid crystal elastomers without additional alignment.Smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers are able to respond quickly to external stimuli and have a wide range of applications in areas such as adaptive optics,color-changing camouflage,soft robotics,and information encryption.This review concludes with a perspective on the opportunities and challenges for the future development of smart chiral liquid crystal elastomers.
文摘In order to study the action mechanism of Sacha Inchi polypeptide in liquid crystal emulsion,oil-in-water liquid crystal emulsions with Sacha Inchi fermented polypeptide as the active component were prepared.The microstructures,particle sizes,stabilities,thermodynamic properties,and rheological properties of liquid crystal emulsions with different concentrations of the fermentation products were observed by Polarizing microscope,Particle size meter,Thermogravimetric differential thermal synchronous measurement system,and Rheometer,respectively.The results showed that the average particle size of fermented peptide liquid crystal emulsion was(25.7±2.8)μm,and the liquid crystal structure was complete and stable.The content of bound water and liquid crystal in the emulsion with 1%Sacha Inchi polypeptide were higher than those in the blank emulsion and the emulsions with 3%and 5%Sacha Inchi polypeptide.Rheological results indicated that the viscosity of liquid crystal emulsion with the change curve of shear rate registered the shear thinning phenomenon,which belongs to non-Newtonian fluid.The hysteresis area,energy storage modulus,and loss modulus of the 1%additive amount of liquid crystal emulsion were larger than those of the blank emulsion and the emulsions with 3%and 5%Sacha Inchi polypeptide,indicating greater thixotropy and stronger shear resistance.The hydrophilic amino acid residues of the peptide in the 1%additive amount of the emulsion were combined with the water phase,while the hydrophobic amino acid residues of the peptide entered the oil phase,which formed a viscoelastic film at the oil-water interface,so that the liquid crystal emulsion had a more stable gel network structure.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No.2022YFA1405000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.62375141)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,Major Project (Grant No.BK20212004)the Natural Science Research Start-up Foundation of Recruiting Talents of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (Grant Nos.NY222122 and NY222105)。
文摘The modulation of dielectric anisotropy(△ε)is pivotal for elucidating molecular interactions and directing the alignment of liquid crystals.In this study,we combine liquid crystals with opposing dielectric anisotropies to explore the impact of varying concentrations on their properties.We report the sign-reversal of△εin both the nematic and smectic A phases of these mixed liquid crystals,alongside a dual-frequency behaviour across a broad temperature spectrum.Our research further quantifies the influence of mixture ratios under various temperatures and electric field frequencies.This exploration may pave the way for the discovery of new physical phenomena.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1405000)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20211277)+2 种基金the Frontier Leading Technology Basic Research Project of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.BK20212004)the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.KYCX230971)the Natural Science Foundation of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications(Grant No.NY223087).
文摘The study of phase transition processes in liquid crystals(LCs)remains challenging.Most thermotropic LCs exhibit a narrow temperature range and a rapid phase transition from the isotropic(ISO)to the nematic(N)phase,which make it difficult to capture and manipulate the phase transition process.In this study,we observed the evolution of small droplets during the ISO–N phase transition in ferroelectric nematic(NF)LC RM734.After doping with metal nanoparticles(NPs),the temperature range of the phase transition broadened,and the droplets formed during the phase transition remained stable,with their diameter increasing linearly with temperature.In addition,droplets doped with NPs can be well controlled by an external electric field.This discovery not only aids in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of LC phase transitions but also provides a simple alternative method for preparing droplets,which is potentially valuable for applications in optoelectronic devices and sensors.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.12172001)the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No.2208085Y01)+1 种基金the University Natural Science Research Project of Anhui Province of China (No.2022AH020029)the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Science and Technology Project of Anhui Province of China (No.2023-YF129)。
文摘Self-oscillating systems abound in the natural world and offer substantial potential for applications in controllers,micro-motors,medical equipments,and so on.Currently,numerical methods have been widely utilized for obtaining the characteristics of self-oscillation including amplitude and frequency.However,numerical methods are burdened by intricate computations and limited precision,hindering comprehensive investigations into self-oscillating systems.In this paper,the stability of a liquid crystal elastomer fiber self-oscillating system under a linear temperature field is studied,and analytical solutions for the amplitude and frequency are determined.Initially,we establish the governing equations of self-oscillation,elucidate two motion regimes,and reveal the underlying mechanism.Subsequently,we conduct a stability analysis and employ a multi-scale method to obtain the analytical solutions for the amplitude and frequency.The results show agreement between the multi-scale and numerical methods.This research contributes to the examination of diverse self-oscillating systems and advances the theoretical analysis of self-oscillating systems rooted in active materials.
基金partially supported by the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission(KJQN202100523,KJQN202000536)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(12001074)+3 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing(cstc2020jcyj-msxmX0606)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing(CSTB2023NSCQ-MSX0278)the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission(KJZD-K202100503)the Research Project of Chongqing Education Commission(CXQT21014)。
文摘In this paper,we are concerned with a three-dimensional non-isothermal model for the compressible nematic liquid crystal flows in a periodic domain.Under some smallness and structural assumptions imposed on the time-periodic force,we establish the existence of the time-periodic solutions to the system by using a regularized approximation scheme and the topological degree theory.We also prove a uniqueness result via energy estimates.
基金support by the NSFC(12071391,12231016)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022A1515010860)support by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2023M742401)。
文摘In this paper,we establish some regularity conditions on the density and velocity fields to guarantee the energy conservation of the weak solutions for the three-dimensional compressible nematic liquid crystal flow in the periodic domain.
基金supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52277028,51577154,U1903133)
文摘Traditional heat conductive epoxy composites often fall short in meeting the escalating heat dissipation demands of large-power,high-frequency,and highvoltage insulating packaging applications,due to the challenge of achieving high thermal conductivity(k),desirable dielectric performance,and robust thermomechanical properties simultaneously.Liquid crystal epoxy(LCE)emerges as a unique epoxy,exhibiting inherently high k achieved through the self-assembly of mesogenic units into ordered structures.This characteristic enables liquid crystal epoxy to retain all the beneficial physical properties of pristine epoxy,while demonstrating a prominently enhanced k.As such,liquid crystal epoxy materials represent a promising solution for thermal management,with potential to tackle the critical issues and technical bottlenecks impeding the increasing miniaturization of microelectronic devices and electrical equipment.This article provides a comprehensive review on recent advances in liquid crystal epoxy,emphasizing the correlation between liquid crystal epoxy’s microscopic arrangement,organized mesoscopic domain,k,and relevant physical properties.The impacts of LC units and curing agents on the development of ordered structure are discussed,alongside the consequent effects on the k,dielectric,thermal,and other properties.External processing factors such as temperature and pressure and their influence on the formation and organization of structured domains are also evaluated.Finally,potential applications that could benefit from the emergence of liquid crystal epoxy are reviewed.
基金partially supported by NSFC(11831003,12031012)the Institute of Modern Analysis-A Frontier Research Center of Shanghai。
文摘The hydrodynamics of active liquid crystal models has attracted much attention in recent years due to many applications of these models.In this paper,we study the weak-strong uniqueness for the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions to the incompressible active liquid crystals in R^(3).Our results yield that if there exists a strong solution,then it is unique among the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions associated with the same initial data.
文摘Vector-based continuous models for nematic liquid crystals such as the Oseen-Frank model and the Ericksen model are relatively simpler compared with tensor-based models such as the Landau-de Gennes model.However,these vector models do not respect head-to-tail symmetry.As a result,they cannot predict configurations corresponding to non-orientable line fields,particularly the half-integer defects.This paper confirms a significant discrepancy between the transition dynamics predicted by the Oseen-Frank vector model and Landau-de Gennes tensor model for liquid crystals confined in a two-dimensional square well.The so-called inner product weighted Laplacian operator is introduced as an anisotropic diffusion operator to evolve the Euler-Lagrange equations corresponding to the modified Oseen-Frank model.Numerical results show that both the predicted equilibrium configurations and the transition dynamics from one equilibrium states to another satisfies head-to-tail symmetry and can accommodate half-integer defects.The connections of anisotropic diffusion operator to the graph Laplacian and the discrete Lebwohl-Lasher model are also discussed.The numerical trick proposed in this paper can be considered a simple remedy to restore head-to-tail symmetry in vector models of liquid crystals,making them more applicable in situations such as systems containing half-integer defects where the traditional numerical approach would fail.
文摘The purpose of study was to evaluate the effect of four powder including titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,silica,and kaolin on the properties of the liquid crystal emulsions.The results show that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the liquid crystal structure.In addition,the addition of Kaolin and silica have an effect on the stability of the liquid crystal structure.Sensory evaluation and Texture analyzer results shown that the addition of titanium dioxide and bismuth oxychloride had no obvious effect on the spreadability of liquid crystal system.The addition of silica and Kaolin was increased the hardness and adhesive of the liquid crystal system.Rheological experiments shown that the kaolin system had lower structural stability.the system with titanium dioxide,bismuth oxychloride,and silica has good stability.This paper provides data support for the application of powders in the formulation of liquid crystal system,which aims to provide a data basis for the preparation and applications of liquid crystal emulsion.
基金Project (51172092) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject (11A093) supported the Education Department of Hunan Province,China+1 种基金Project (13JJ1023) supported by the Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Youth of Hunan Province,ChinaProject (NECT-12-0720) supported the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of China
文摘Ordered mesoporous TiO2 （OMPT） was prepared by an evaporation induced self-assembly technique using liquid crystal as template. The key factors affecting the methylene blue （MB） oxidation efficiency were investigated, including the initial concentration of MB, pH value and catalyst concentration. The results show that the obtained OMPT has high thermal stability and shows a 2D hexagonal mesostructure with the small particle size and high surface area, which lead to higher degradation efficiency than commercial P25 or nanoparticle TiO2 （NPT） fabricated by sol-gel process. The optimal conditions are 5 mg/L MB, pH 6 and 1.5 g/L OMPT for the fastest rate of MB degradation. Total organic carbon （TOC） analysis indicates complete mineralization of MB in 240 min by OMPT, with rate constant higher than NPT or P25.
基金The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundationthe Doctoral Programme Foundation of Institution of Higher Education of China
文摘Side chain liquid crystalline golysiloxanes conta ing biphenyl and benzyl ether mesogen were synthesized by the hydrosilation of poly(methylhydrcsiloxane) with 4-(4-allyloxybenzytoxy)-4'- methoxybiphenyl(M_1),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'-ethoxybiphenyl(M_2),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'- propoxybiphenyl(M_3),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'-butoxybiphenyl(M_4),4-(4-allyloxybenzyloxy)-4'- pentyloxybiphenyl(M_5).The phase behavior of monomeric and polymeric liquid crystals was chararcterized by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarization microscopy.Both the monomeric and polymeric liquid crystals exhibit liquid crystal behaviors.
文摘We propose an electronic model in Spice, instead of traditional mathematical analysis, for analyzing the performance of ferroelectric liquid crystal （FLC） under various working conditions. Using this equivalent circuit model,it is easy to simulate and analyze the behavior of an FLC layer in three different typical parameters,including temperature, input light wavelength, and the frequency of driving voltage. We conclude that the response velocity drops as the wavelength increases in the range of visible light, and for the parameter of temperature, the velocity reaches its lowest value when the temperature reaches a certain degree,meanwhile,the frequency of driving voltage exerts important effects on the response velocity only when the frequency is beyond a critical value. Excellent agreement is achieved between simulation and experimental results.
文摘A polymerized lyotropic liquid crystal monomer of sodium 3,4,5-tris（11-acryloxyundecyloxy）- benzoate was synthesized by a convenient route starting from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid via esterification followed by etherification, acylation and finally neutralization. The chemi- cal structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis. The self-organization behavior of the monomer with deionized water in methanol at room temperature was also demonstrated. The assemblies were char- acterized by polarized optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. The results show that a solution containing 80：20 of the monomer to water was found to be able to self-organize into Lamellar （La） phase and 92：8 with inverted hexagonal （H]I） phase, which was in ac- cordance with the theoretical calculation of critical packing parameter. It suggests that the concentration of the monomer was the key factor to influence assembly structure. Addi- tionally, the acrylate conversion with different photoinitiators and nanostructure retention after polymerization were investigated. The research shows that the acrylate conversion of the monomer with Darocur2959 could reach up to 78% when irradiated by 30 mW/cm2 UV light of 365 nm for 30 min characterized by Real-time FT-IR as well as the sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the La and HII phase nanostructures were both retained after polymerization.
