Particles At Anisotropic Interfaces

In prior work we have studied the behavior of complex shaped particles at both planar and curved fluid interfaces in order to orient, steer, and dock particles with high reliability. Extending on this work, we introduce similar particles to anisotropic media, such as liquid crystals, and discuss the implications of the system compared to ordinary, capillary driven isotropic interfaces. We experimentally observe the behavior of particles in such systems via polarization microscopy and manipulate them with optical tweezers to gain insight on interaction potentials and general behavior of such systems.