By disrupting the thermodynamic equilibrium of liquids, physicists have made them behave quite differently from how they do in nature – managing to coax liquids into straight-sided squares and hexagons, and patterns of lattices.

"It's fascinating to drive systems out of equilibrium and see if the non-equilibrium structures can be controlled or be useful.

It can help us not only understand thermodynamic equilibrium itself, but various materials.

"When we turn on an electric field over the mixture, electrical charge accumulates at the interface between the oils," said physicist Nikos Kyriakopoulos of Aalto University.

"This charge density shears the interface out of thermodynamic equilibrium and into interesting formations.".

"The biphasic system studied here offers exciting possibilities as optical devices because of the exceptional control over the liquid-liquid interface and fluidic structures with electric field," the researchers wrote in their paper