Future Materials from Liquid Crystal Drops

From microscopic drops of active liquid crystals, formed by a large number of elements that consume energy , we arrive at the innovative materials of the future , which could constitute the starting point, for example, for the creation of artificial fabrics that imitate biological ones , or micro-capsules for the controlled administration of drugs .

This is the perspective opened by the international study published in the journal Nature Communications and led by the University of Edinburgh, which also includes Italian researchers from the University of Bari and the Institute for Applications of Calculus 'M. Picone' of the National Research Council in Rome. The authors led by Giuseppe Negro and Louise Head of the British university have in fact revealed the properties of a new type of active soft matter , made up of drops of fluid containing a mixture of different substances .

“If encapsulated in a drop of fluid, these active liquid crystals can give rise to surprising effects,” says Adriano Tiribocchi of Cnr-Iac, one of the researchers involved, “for example, capable of generating a spontaneous motion similar to that of some cells .” Using computer simulations, the researchers observed that when there is only one drop, the movement is influenced by the position of the drop itself, while when there are many drops the movement becomes rotary , regular and coordinated . “In this second scenario,” continues Tiribocchi, “a crucial role is played by topological defects, fascinating mathematical objects that can also be observed in everyday life, for example in fingerprints in the form of point-like imperfections, the result of the intersection between the lines of the fingertips.”