Self-organized angleworm-like and centipede-like patterns in ac-driven electroconvection of nematic liquid crystals

Self-organized angleworm-like and centipede-like patterns in ac-driven electroconvection of nematic liquid crystals | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Self-organized angleworm-like and centipede-like patterns in ac-driven electroconvection of nematic liquid crystals Jong-Hoon Huh This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7522312/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We report localized electroconvection (EC) discovered in nematic liquid crystals (NLC), which resembles lifelike angleworms (AW) and centipedes (CP) in nature. In the presence or absence of superposed noise on an ac field, such localized EC patterns are self-organized. We investigated their spatial and dynamical features in terms of the spontaneous formation and evolution of patterns. In a planarly-aligned NLC cell, the AWs are discovered in the conduction (f f cd) regimes which are divided by a characteristic frequency f cd. Moreover, in a homeotropically-aligned NLC cell, two types of the CP (i.e., single CP and couple CP) are discovered slightly before f cd. Considering the director field of NLC in the noise and/or ac fields, we explain the emergence of these noticeable dissipative structures that are not conventional wholly-occupying patterns in systems but localized ones, and that are not stationary but regularly dynamical. It is crucial to consider the redistribution of electric charges through additional noise effects or disclinations of NLC. Biological sciences/Biophysics Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Physics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 27 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 11 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 09 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7522312","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":515671504,"identity":"a4687c82-370d-40e5-8071-45506fef2e85","order_by":0,"name":"Jong-Hoon Huh","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwYexgeMDUAWD0QgAUxK4NfCbADXcoBILWwSmFrwAXOJ3GPVhTsO2zPwnDGT/lBhl8fAfvgBg+UO3FosZ+Sl3Z555nBiA2+PmcSBM8nFDDxpBgySZ/A47EaO2W3etsMJDPw8ZhIH2w4kNjDkMDBItuHXUgzUYg/R8g+ohf8NYS3MQC2MYIcdbABqkSBky5k3xtIz29IT23iOFVucOZac2CbxzOAAXr8czzH8XNhmbc/Pk7zxRkWNXWI/f/LDx5J4QgwEmBkYmhnYGDgMwDw2ID4s2UBQSx2QYn8AF2H8SEDLKBgFo2AUjCgAAEdVUMrHFcGWAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Kyushu Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jong-Hoon","middleName":"","lastName":"Huh","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-03 03:38:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7522312/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7522312/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-26532-w","type":"published","date":"2025-11-27T15:58:49+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":91818648,"identity":"4e061b7e-fac3-47b5-a65d-136f9a3d631e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-22 07:04:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":2057280,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MSFIGShuhrevisedv2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7522312/v1/5c13b509a3aaa12ed8cce92b.pdf"},{"id":91818566,"identity":"fa514741-3cf9-46cf-9d3c-02b2876ee769","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-22 07:04:44","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":5204,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"99712dd91dbd4cfc943cf11d850b2fe6.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7522312/v1/6538bc2149a97cc1eb2ad929.json"},{"id":97178652,"identity":"feb322ea-6419-4397-b3c4-b58445942031","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-01 16:12:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1652609,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MSFIGShuhrevisedv2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7522312/v1_covered_4059d6a5-dd27-4ab5-a2fe-b572ef01a5ec.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Self-organized angleworm-like and centipede-like patterns in ac-driven electroconvection of nematic liquid crystals","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7522312/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7522312/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWe report localized electroconvection (EC) discovered in nematic liquid crystals (NLC), which resembles lifelike angleworms (AW) and centipedes (CP) in nature. In the presence or absence of superposed noise on an ac field, such localized EC patterns are self-organized. We investigated their spatial and dynamical features in terms of the spontaneous formation and evolution of patterns. In a planarly-aligned NLC cell, the AWs are discovered in the conduction (f \u0026lt; f cd) and dielectric (f \u0026gt; f cd) regimes which are divided by a characteristic frequency f cd. Moreover, in a homeotropically-aligned NLC cell, two types of the CP (i.e., single CP and couple CP) are discovered slightly before f cd. Considering the director field of NLC in the noise and/or ac fields, we explain the emergence of these noticeable dissipative structures that are not conventional wholly-occupying patterns in systems but localized ones, and that are not stationary but regularly dynamical. 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