Highly structured composites could be suitable for many potential applications, such as high-strength light-weight materials, controlled release materials, tissue engineering supports, or wound-healing dressings. We use our expertise in the area of hydrodynamic focusing of a sample stream using grooves to create microfibers with specific shape and size. The approach is to simultaneously exploit the properties of liquid crystal and laminar flow not only to control the cross-sectional shape and size, but also to align the individual molecules of the polymer fiber during the polymerization process. Using grooves, we create flows with complex cross sectional shapes. The prepolymer shape is locked in by UV-induced polymerization once the stream exits the grooves region.

Microfluidic platform for highly structured liquid crystal composites

244th National Meeting (2012)

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