Solution landscapes in nematic microfluidics

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Crespo, M. and Majumdar, A. and Ramos, A.M. and Griffiths, I.M. (2017) Solution landscapes in nematic microfluidics. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 351-352. pp. 1-13. ISSN 0167-2789 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2017.04.004)

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Abstract

We study the static equilibria of a simplified Leslie–Ericksen model for a unidirectional uniaxial nematic flow in a prototype microfluidic channel, as a function of the pressure gradient G and inverse anchoring strength, B. We numerically find multiple static equilibria for admissible pairs (G,B) and classify them according to their winding numbers and stability. The case G=0 is analytically tractable and we numerically study how the solution landscape is transformed as G increases. We study the one-dimensional dynamical model, the sensitivity of the dynamic solutions to initial conditions and the rate of change of G and B. We provide a physically interesting example of how the time delay between the applications of G and B can determine the selection of the final steady state.

ORCID iDs

Crespo, M., Majumdar, A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4802-6720, Ramos, A.M. and Griffiths, I.M.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)