Study on liquid crystalline flow induced by direct current electric field

Issue title: Selected Papers from the 15th International Symposium on Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics (ISEM 2011)

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tsukiji, Tetsuhiro^{a; *} | Kodama, Kenta^a | Nishimura, Shun^a

Affiliations: [a] Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Tetsuhiro Tsukiji, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioi-Cho, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 3238 3818; Fax: +81 3 3238 3311; E-mail: t-tukiji@sophia.ac.jp

Abstract: A functional fluid flows by itself when electric fields are applied to the functional fluid. This phenomenon is called EHD (electrohydrodynamics) phenomenon, and research and developments are conducted to design motors and pumps using this phenomenon. We use a liquid crystal as a functional fluid and observe the behavior of the liquid crystal as well as flow at the flow channel when steady electric fields are generated through a direct current by two electrodes at the bottom of the flow channel. Moreover, we investigate the influence of the shape and the position of the electrodes on the liquid crystalline flow under the application of the fields. Furthermore, we research the possibility of designing motors using the EHD phenomenon.

Keywords: Liquid crystal, EHD phenomenon, electric field, direct current, electrode

DOI: 10.3233/JAE-2012-1515

Journal: International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, vol. 39, no. 1-4, pp. 589-593, 2012