Extended Data Fig. 7: Repeatability and hysteresis in dipole reorientation.

a, Scheme illustrating the conceptual framework for information writing and erasing. b,c, Percentage distribution of dipole orientation beneath a water film, analyzed based on (b) the number of isotropic−nematic LC transitions and (c) isotropic−nematic transition of LCs, followed by the directional sliding of the water film towards 6 o’clock with the LC in its nematic phase. d, Scheme illustrating the conceptual framework for information overwriting. e, Sliding distance of the top glass plate to align dipoles towards a 6 o’clock orientation, depending on their initial orientation. f, Percentage distribution of dipole orientation beneath a water film after alternating the direction of the water film sliding between 6 and 12 o’clock. The dipole orientation in (b,c,e,f) is indicated by the color of the histogram as defined in Extended Data Fig. 2a. The displayed percentages are based on analyses of at least 480 micropillars per cycle in (b,c,f). Error bars represent standard deviations from 3 independent measurements.