Electrophoresis of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal droplets

Electrophoresis is the dynamics of colloidal inclusions in a fluid, driven by a uniform electric field. The effect has been studied in isotropic and nematic environments and has found many applications in particle separation, microfluidics, electrophoretic displays, etc. Here, we report on the electrophoresis of ferroelectric nematic (N_F) liquid crystal droplets confined between two plates with a uniform alignment of the director and surrounded by an isotropic fluid. When a direct current (dc) field is applied, N_F droplets propel along the field. The mechanism of motion is attributed to the electric polarization reorientation in response to the field. An alternating current (ac) field with a frequency results in a biased oscillatory motion of the droplet, which yields a net displacement over several cycles. The direction of the net displacement is set by the polarity of surface anchoring imposed through the bounding plates. The work is supported by NSF grant ECCS-2122399.