Molecular manipulator driven by spatial variation of molecular order

先前对含有胶体颗粒等杂质的液晶系统的研究主要集中在微米级杂质之间的集体远程相互作用上，这种相互作用是由液晶秩序的弹性扭曲引起的。在这里，我们提出了一种新的机制，其中S的空间变化产生了一种“力”，通过S和溶质浓度之间的耦合来传输纳米级溶质。我们已经成功地设计了一个分子操纵器的原型，它可以沿着标量有序参数的空间变化传输分子溶质，通过紫外光对偶氮苯掺杂的向列相进行点照明，以一种可控的方式进行调制。该机械手可以控制聚合物浓度的空间变化；因此，它在新型混合软材料的设计中具有广阔的应用前景。

Previous studies on liquid crystal systems containing impurities such as colloidal particles have focused on the collective long-range interactions among micron-scale impurities, resulting from elastic distortion of the liquid crystalline order. Here, we propose a novel mechanism in which the spatial variation of S generates a 'force' that transports nano-scale solutes mediated by the coupling between S and solute concentration. We have successfully designed a prototype of a molecular manipulator that transports a molecular solute along spatial variations of the scalar order parameter, modulated in a controlled manner by spot illumination of an azobenzene-doped nematic phase by UV light. The manipulator can control the spatial variation of the polymer concentration; therefore it shows promise for use in the design of novel hybrid soft materials.