Self-Assembled Structural Colloids of Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer and Elastomer*

Self-organized nematic liquid crystal polymer (NLCP) microstructures and corresponding cross-linked liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) microstructures were fabricated and investigated. The NLCP structures were generated by temperature quenching of LCP droplets. The drops then evolved morphologically into rough spheres, flower-shaped drops, and filaments with sub-micron diameters. The control parameters dictating the final morphologies include temperature, pre-polymer chain length, and surfactant concentration in the aqueous background. Interestingly, the morphologies varied reversibly with temperature cycling. Finally, useful target morphologies were photo-crosslinked to make LCEs with well-maintained director fields and smooth surfaces. The schemes thus introduce a novel procedure for synthesizing LCE fibers.