Threading the spindle: a geometric study of chiral liquid crystal polymer microparticles
Helen S. Ansell, Dae Seok Kim, Randall D. Kamien, Eleni Katifori, and Teresa Lopez-Leon
Polymeric particles are strong candidates for designing artificial materials capable of emulating the complex twisting-based functionality observed in biological systems. We studied the swelling behavior of bipolar polymer liquid crystalline microparticles. Deswelling from the spherical bipolar configuration causes the microparticle to contract anisotropically and twist in the process, resulting in a twisted spindle shaped structure.