Ordered micro-particle structures in a liquid crystal: Formation and physical properties

Ordered colloids are of great scientific and practical interests. Liquid crystals offer enhanced ways of producing and stabilizing these complex structures. We therefore studied the rheological and electro-rheological properties of the structured colloids as a means of probing this stabilization. We found that the mechanical properties of the colloids and stability of their 3D structures can be controlled by the particles size and distribution. In addition, when an electric field is applied, we observed an increase in the apparent viscosity with saturation at high electric fields. This effect depends on the shear rate and temperature. The results are also compared with the published data for the viscosity measurements of pure liquid crystals and isotropic colloids. While we are only beginning to understand the details of these complex colloids we expect they will find a wide variety of applications.