Professor Charles Rosenblatt & collaborators say they’ve changed the shape of a flat liquid crystal surface without applying any local stimulus—essentially remotely altering its physical appearance without touching it.
The scientists essentially manipulated what Rosenblatt called “an orientable Newtonian liquid,” referring in this case to a nematic liquid crystal that behaves predictably, i.e., linearly, when an outside stimulus is applied. The nematic is a phase that consists of cigar-shaped molecules arranged parallel to each other, but which can flow like water. (source: The Daily)
Read about this exciting breakthrough:
- The Daily (10.26.2021) Physicists from Case Western Reserve University, Tufts say they’ve remotely altered microscopic surface; could lead to applications for microchips, or ‘liquid tools’
- ARS Technica (10.22.2021) Pixar lamp and Mystique inspire novel approaches to shape-shifting ideas: 2 new papers highlight promising methods for making shapeshifting structures