Faceted nanoparticles in a nematic liquid crystal: defect structures and potentials of mean force

Hung, Francisco R.; Bale, Shivkumar

doi:10.1080/08927020902801563

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…2,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] However, n(r)-deformations and topological defects around faceted colloidal particles with sharp edges were shown to be more diverse and complex. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Changing the propagation of defect lines at the edges of faceted colloidal particles can induce not only achiral director structures but also the ones with chiral symmetry of n(r) of the ensuing LC colloids. 16,25,30,31 In this article, we realise low-symmetry achiral and chiral n(r)-dressed colloids in the nematic liquid crystals using polygonal concave and convex prisms with sharp edges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repulsion–attraction switching of nematic colloids formed by liquid crystal dispersions of polygonal prisms

et al. 2017

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Self-assembly of colloidal particles due to elastic interactions in nematic liquid crystals promises tunable composite materials and can be guided by exploiting surface functionalization, geometric shape and topology, though these means of controlling self-assembly remain limited. Here, we realize low-symmetry achiral and chiral elastic colloids in the nematic liquid crystals using colloidal polygonal concave and convex prisms. We show that the controlled pinning of disclinations at the prisms edges alters the symmetry of director distortions around the prisms and their orientation with respect to the far-field director. The controlled localization of the disclinations at the prism's edges significantly influences anisotropy of the diffusion properties of prisms dispersed in liquid crystals and allows one to modify their self-assembly. We show that elastic interactions between polygonal prisms can be switched between repulsive and attractive just by controlled re-pinning the disclinations at different edges using laser tweezers. Our findings demonstrate that elastic interactions between colloidal particles dispersed in nematic liquid crystals are sensitive to the topologically equivalent but geometrically rich controlled configurations of the particle-induced defects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repulsion–attraction switching of nematic colloids formed by liquid crystal dispersions of polygonal prisms

et al. 2017

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“…Indeed, recently it was demonstrated that colloidal platelets in nematic liquid crystals distort the nematic field as elastic dipoles or quadrupoles [2]. Defect structures and the potentials of mean force (PMF) were explored that arise when faceted nanoparticles, namely cubes and triangular prisms, are immersed in a nematic liquid crystal [6]. Electrically driven multi-axis rotation was measured for colloidal platelets in NLC, showing hard and easy axes for reorientation [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nematic colloidal tilings as photonic materials

et al. 2014

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Colloidal platelets are explored as elementary building blocks for the shape-controlled assembly of crystalline and quasicrystalline tilings. Using three-dimensional (3D) numerical modelling based on the minimization of Landau-de Gennes free energy for modelling of colloids combined with Finite Difference Time Domain calculations for optics, we demonstrate the self-assembly and optical (transmission) properties of triangular, square and pentagonal sub-micrometer sized platelets in a thin layer of nematic liquid crystal. Interactions between platelets are explored, providing an insight into the assembly process. Two-dimensional tilings of various-shaped colloidal platelets are demonstrated, and their use as diffraction layers is explored by using FDTD simulations. Designing symmetry-breaking surface anchoring profiles on pentagonal platelets opens also a possibility to achieve interactions that could lead to tilings with non-crystalline symmetry.

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“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] The reviews report that the interactions among nanoparticles in nematic LCs become highly anisotropic, enabling the development of the spontaneous self-assembly of nanoparticles. 1 3 4 The LC-nanoparticle blends are of importance in connection with novel hybrid materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Assembly of Unfunctionalized Nanoparticles in Crystallization of Liquid Crystal Trimers

Itahara¹,

Tamura²,

Kubota³

et al. 2015

j nanosci nanotechnol

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The crystallization of liquid crystal (LC) trimer-nanoparticle blends resulted in the formation of striped patterns in the crystals. The stripes were initially blurry but became sharper in the nematic LCs formed with heating. When the striped patterns began to collapse, many micron-scale colloidal particles were found out. Both the colloidal particles and stripes disappeared after an increase of 1.0-1.5 °C beyond the temperature at which the colloidal particles appeared. These results suggested that the stripes consisted of the colloidal particles. The distance between stripes depended on the shapes and sizes of the colloidal particles and the cooling rate during the crystallization. There were two melting peaks on the DSC chart of the LC trimer-nanoparticle blends. The two peaks corresponded to the melting of the LC trimers and the disappearance of the colloidal particles, respectively. On the basis of these data, we think that the colloidal particles are composed of hybrid structures in which LC trimers enclose the nanoparticles. The relationship between the striped patterns and the colloidal particles is discussed.

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Faceted nanoparticles in a nematic liquid crystal: defect structures and potentials of mean force

Cited by 26 publications

References 60 publications

Repulsion–attraction switching of nematic colloids formed by liquid crystal dispersions of polygonal prisms

Repulsion–attraction switching of nematic colloids formed by liquid crystal dispersions of polygonal prisms

Nematic colloidal tilings as photonic materials

Self-Assembly of Unfunctionalized Nanoparticles in Crystallization of Liquid Crystal Trimers

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