Laser processing of microdroplet structure of liquid crystal in 3D

Processing of mesoscale structures of soft matter and liquid is of great importance in both science and engineering. In this work, we introduce the concept of laser-assisted micromachining to this field and inject a certain number of microdroplets into a preselected location on the surface of a liquid crystal drop through laser irradiation. The impact of laser energy on the triggered injection is discussed. The sequentially injected microdroplets are spontaneously captured by the defect ring in the host drop and transported along this defect track as micro-cargos. By precisely manipulating the laser beam, the tailored injection of droplets is achieved, and the injected droplets self-assemble into one necklace ring within the host drop. The result provides a bottom-up approach for the in-situ and three-dimensional microfabrication of droplet structure of soft matter using a laser beam, which may be applicable in the development of optical and photonic devices. (C) 2022 Optics Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

This study introduces the concept of laser-assisted micromachining to the processing of mesoscale structures in soft matter and liquid. By utilizing laser irradiation, microdroplets are injected into specific locations on the surface of a liquid crystal drop, followed by their self-assembly into a tailored structure within the host drop. This bottom-up approach provides a potential method for in-situ and three-dimensional microfabrication of droplet structures using laser beam, which can be applied in the development of optical and photonic devices.