# Threading the spindle: a geometric study of chiral liquid crystal polymer microparticles

## TL;DR

This paper investigates the swelling and twisting behavior of bipolar liquid crystalline polymer microparticles, revealing how deswelling induces anisotropic contraction and spiral twisting, and proposes a model for these phenomena.

## Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the deformation and twisting of bipolar polymer liquid crystalline microparticles during deswelling, introducing a new model for their spiral patterns.

## Key findings

- Deswelling causes anisotropic contraction of microparticles.
- Microparticles twist into spindle shapes during deswelling.
- A new model describes the spiral patterns and twisting behavior.

## Abstract

Polymeric particles are strong candidates for designing artificial materials capable of emulating the complex twisting-based functionality observed in biological systems. In this letter, we provide the first detailed investigation of the swelling behavior of bipolar polymer liquid crystalline microparticles. Deswelling from the spherical bipolar configuration causes the microparticle to contract anisotropically and twist in the process, resulting in a twisted spindle shaped structure. We propose a model to describe the observed spiral patterns and twisting behavior.