Observations of the break-up of liquid crystalline polymer threads imbedded in an isotropic fluid
Résumé
A droplet, a few hundreds of microns, of liquid crystalline hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) in water is imbedded into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix and subjected to a shear flow. The droplet is deformed into a thread of high aspect ratio. The textures associated with the break-up of the thread once the flow is stopped are observed by optical microscopy. After stopping the flow a banded texture appears. The droplets resulting from the break-up have a bipolar texture with the two opposite poles being along the former thread direction.