Automated system to acquire fluorescence, polarization and anisotropy maps within liquid flows.

Maps of polarization and anisotropy can be helpful for flow analysis systems (FIA, CFA, etc.) with reactions dependent on the intermolecular alignment as well as for dispersion control. Maps can be acquired manually, but when a scan over a sample area is required, the acquisition becomes tiresome and has low precision.

Fluorescence depolarization and contact angle investigation of dynamic and static interfacial tension of liquid crystal display materials.

Interfacial interactions control two processes empirically known to be critical for molecular anchoring in twisted nematic liquid crystal displays technology (TN-LCDs): surface treatment and filling procedure. Static and dynamical interfacial tensions (Gamma(SL)) between liquids and several substrates with similar roughness were observed respectively by contact angle (theta(c)) of sessile drops and by fluorescence depolarization of thin liquid films flowing at high velocity. Gamma(SL) decreased when glass was coated with tin dioxide and increased with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) deposition.

Observation of wall wettability under imposed flow by fluorescence depolarization: dependence on surface oxygen content and degree of polymer branching.

This work was concerned with the dependence of the interfacial tension (Gamma(SL)) on surface degree of oxygen content and on polymer branching degree. The static Gamma(SL) was evaluated by contact angle (theta;(c)) and the dynamic Gamma(SL) by fluorescence depolarization of molecular probes seeded in induced flows of monoethylene glycol. The latter results were interpreted using statistical covariant analysis.