Abstract
A functional fluid flows by itself when electric fields are applied to the functional fluid. This phenomenon is called EHD (electrohydrodynamics) phenomenon, and research and developments are conducted to design motors and pumps using this phenomenon. We use a liquid crystal as a functional fluid and observe the behavior of the liquid crystal as well as flow at the flow channel when steady electric fields are generated through a direct current by two electrodes at the bottom of the flow channel. Moreover, we investigate the influence of the shape and the position of the electrodes on the liquid crystalline flow under the application of the fields. Furthermore, we research the possibility of designing motors using the EHD phenomenon.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.