| 초록 |
Liquid crystals (LCs), especially in a cholesteric phase have a thermochromic property that shows structural color as the helical pitch length changes with temperature. We can easily control the thermochromic property due to high mobility of LCs, but it cannot guarantee the structural stability of LCs, because the order of LCs is easily destroyed by external environment. In this work, we present a microfluidic approach to encapsulate thermochromic LCs in microcapsules with hydrogel shells. The hydrogel shells can protect LCs from environmental stimuli, and ensure stable incorporation and precise thermochromic property of LC core. Using a capillary microfluidic device, monodisperse oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) double emulsion drops are produced, emulsifying innermost LC phase in aqueous solution of hydrogel precursor. Microcapsules that have various combinations of LC mixture in the core can show broad color play ranges, thereby visualizing temperature distribution of the system. |
