2024-04-23 06:00:01
A team of researchers, associated with the Ulsan National University of Science and Technology (UNIST), has just made a significant discovery in the field of liquid crystals. Led by Professor Jonwoo Jeong and his team from the Department of Physique, they recently unveiled a new principle of movement on a microscopic scale. This discovery promises varied applications in various fields of research and could pave the way for the future development of miniature robots.
During their experiments, the researchers observed a remarkable phenomenon: air bubbles inside the liquid crystal moved directionally, periodically changing their size. Unlike air bubbles in other media, which typically exhibit symmetrical growth or contraction, these demonstrated unilateral movement. By introducing air bubbles the size of a human hair into the cristal liquid and by adjusting the pressure, the researchers were able to highlight this observation surprising.
The key to this phenomenon lies in the formation of phase defects near air bubbles inside the liquid crystal structure. These defects disrupt the symmetry bubbles, which allows them to undergo force unidirectional despite their symmetrical shape. So when the air bubbles change size, they exert a force on the surrounding liquid crystal, propelling them in a consistent direction, in contradiction with classical physical laws.
Sung-Jo Kim, first author of the study, highlighted the importance of this discovery: “This revolutionary phenomenon demonstrates that symmetrical objects can exhibit directed motion through symmetrical movements, which is a completely new discovery.” He also mentioned that this principle could have applications in many other complex fluids, apart from liquid crystals.
Professor Jeong added: “This discovery highlights the importance of symmetry breaking in generating motion at the microscopic scale, and opens new avenues for research on microscopic robots.”
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