Abstract:
We have prepared monodisperse suspensions of nematic liquid crystal droplets in water. The droplets are stabilized by polyvinyl alcohol, a polymer that induces planar anchoring of the liquid crystal molecules at the surface of the droplets. The resultant particles exhibit strong optical anisotropy while having a spherical shape. As a consequence, the light scattering from the particles contains a strong depolarized component. We report a simple application of this feature by performing dynamic light scattering experiments to measure the rotational diffusion of colloidal spheres in a dilute suspension. (C) 1998 Academic Press.
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