Rajabi Mojtaba, Turiv Taras, Li Bing-Xiang, Baza Hend, Golovaty Dmitry, Lavrentovich Oleg D
Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2024 Apr 12;132(15):158102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.158102.
Electrophoresis is the motion of particles relative to a surrounding fluid driven by a uniform electric field. In conventional electrophoresis, the electrophoretic velocity grows linearly with the applied field. Nonlinear effects with a quadratic speed vs field dependence are gaining research interest since an alternating current field could drive them. Here, we report on the giant nonlinearity of electrophoresis in a nematic liquid crystal in which the speed grows with the fourth and sixth powers of the electric field. The mechanism is attributed to the shear thinning of the nematic environment induced by the moving colloid. The observed giant nonlinear effect dramatically enhances the efficiency of electrophoretic transport.
