Shape evolution of a single liquid-crystal droplet immersed in an isotropic matrix under transient and steady flow.

The morphology evolution of immiscible polymer-liquid crystal systems is quite different from flexible polymer-polymer mixtures due to the anisotropic properties of liquid crystals. The deformation and retraction of a single low molar mass liquid crystal 4'-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB) droplet and 4'-octyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (8CB) dispersed in polydimethyl-siloxane under two-dimensional linear flow was investigated by a computer-controlled four-roll mill, which is equipped with an optical microscope and a digital camera. The deformation parameter and orientation angle during deformation versus capillary number was obtained and compared with calculations using the Maffettone-Minale (MM) model and the Yu-Zhou liquid-crystal (YZ-LC) model. The MM model can describe the behavior of a Newtonian droplet in another Newtonian matrix whereas the YZ-LC model can describe the behavior of a LC droplet in a Newtonian matrix. The results showed that the deformation and rotation of a LC droplet is more difficult than viscoelastic droplets, possibly because of the resistance of the nematic elastic energy induced by the nematic mesogens deformation and orientation under flow field. Furthermore, the different behavior between flow-aligning 5CB and flow-tumbling 8CB droplets and the influence of droplet size of LC on deformation and retraction were discussed by experiment and calculation; the results reveal that the different size LC droplets show different evolution curves.