To confine the LCLC in a spherical geometry, emulsions were prepared adding a small amount of DSCG to an immiscible matrix. In particular, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used. PDMS (Sylgard kit 184, Sigma-Aldrich) is liquid, optically clear and has a high viscosity. The kit is composed of the material and the crosslinker. The PDMS structure is shown in Figure 2 d. It was used as received. 1ml of PDMS was placed at the bottom of a vial, and a droplet of DSCG was successively added to prevent its adhesion to wall surfaces. Through mechanical agitation, a large number of microspheres were obtained.
The volume fraction of chromonic solution in oil was ~1%, and the resulting droplets had diameters ranging from 1 to 300 μm. For microdroplet texture investigations, 10 μL of the prepared emulsion were sandwiched between two laboratory glass plates separated by mylar stripes. Glasses were then glued using epoxy resin to avoid emulsion leakage and slow down water evaporation. Textures were studied using a polarized light microscope (DMRX, Leica, Wetziar, Germany).
The volume fraction of chromonic solution in oil was ~1%, and the resulting droplets had diameters ranging from 1 to 300 μm. For microdroplet texture investigations, 10 μL of the prepared emulsion were sandwiched between two laboratory glass plates separated by mylar stripes. Glasses were then glued using epoxy resin to avoid emulsion leakage and slow down water evaporation. Textures were studied using a polarized light microscope (DMRX, Leica, Wetziar, Germany).