A New Director Alignment for Droplets of Nematic Liquid Crystal with Low Bend-to-Splay Ratio

Drzaic, Paul

doi:10.1080/00268948808078738

Cited by 51 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…We point out that Figure 1 shows one orientation for each LC droplet configuration, and that other orientations of the LC droplets will generate distinct optical signatures (with the exception of the rotationally symmetric radial configuration). 2, 10, 12–15 Within the droplets, the average orientations of the molecules forming the nematic LC are described by a director ( n ). For example, Figure 1A shows a so-called bipolar configuration of the LC droplet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Design of Functional Materials Based on Liquid Crystalline Droplets

2013

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This brief perspective focuses on recent advances in the design of functional soft materials that are based on confinement of low molecular weight liquid crystals (LCs) within micrometer-sized droplets. While the ordering of LCs within micrometer-sized domains has been explored extensively in polymer-dispersed LC materials, recent studies performed with LC domains with precisely defined size and interfacial chemistry have unmasked observations of confinement-induced ordering of LCs that do not follow previously reported theoretical predictions. These new findings, which are enabled in part by advances in the preparation of LCs encapsulated in polymeric shells, are opening up new opportunities for the design of soft responsive materials based on surface-induced ordering transitions. These materials are also providing new insights into the self-assembly of biomolecular and colloidal species at defects formed by LCs confined to micrometer-sized domains. The studies presented in this perspective serve additionally to highlight gaps in knowledge regarding the ordering of LCs in confined systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10, 13, 17–20 The interested reader is directed elsewhere for detailed descriptions of the optical signatures of LC droplets in various other director configurations. 2, 10, 12–15 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Functional Materials Based on Liquid Crystalline Droplets

2013

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“…For spherical droplets, computer simulations have been found to predict reasonably well those configurations observed by optical microscopy [6][7][8][9]. Recently we have obtained computer simulations of director configurations which result under the conditions of an applied field and also for droplets which have the shape of an ellipsoid of revolution [10].…”

Section: Model Calculationsmentioning

confidence: 84%

PDLC shutters: where has this technology gone?

Doane

Erdmann

2006

Liquid Crystals

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“…If, however, the ratio of the bend to splay constants, K 3 3 / K , , is less than unity, concentric (toroidal) structure (see figure 1 (b)) can appear. That director configuration was identified by Drzaic [6]. For homeotropically aligned droplets there are also two different director configurations, the radial and the axial configuration (see figure 2).…”

Section: A Kilianmentioning

confidence: 98%

Computer simulations of nematic droplets

Kilian

1993

Liquid Crystals

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Nematic droplets are intimately connected with disclinations, because in nematic droplets, point and line-shaped defects, as well as surface defects, are not generated at random, but inevitably by topological constraints. Thus, droplets provide a good means for investigating nematic defects. There is a growing interest in both topics due to the applications in polymer dispersed liquid crystal devices [l-31, but also in classical display modelling, where nematic defects are to be avoided. Various types of droplets are investigated theoretically with the aid of a previously developed numerical algorithm [4,5], which is based on a dynamic equation for the alignment tensor u,,". The rotational diffusion, the influence of an orienting external field, and the Frank elasticity (in the one-coefficient approximation) are taken into account, but flow processes are neglected. For the application to nematic droplets, a new type of boundary conditions had to be used, which I have called 'true planar anchoring'. I simulate the relaxation of the director field of nematic droplets from the isotropic state and vice versa for various types of anchoring and cavity shapes. Contrast pictures, as if viewed under crossed Nicols, are computed and compared to experiment. The results obtained elucidate the nature of the surface disclinations of strength one (boojums). In particular, it is found that their occurrence can be understood as a consequence of the planar anchoring, without any further assumptions. Moreover, a phase transition-like transformation of the director configuration is predicted which is temperature controlled and occurs, as the blue phases do, close to the nematic-isotropic transition temperature T,.

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A New Director Alignment for Droplets of Nematic Liquid Crystal with Low Bend-to-Splay Ratio

Cited by 51 publications

References 10 publications

Design of Functional Materials Based on Liquid Crystalline Droplets

Design of Functional Materials Based on Liquid Crystalline Droplets

PDLC shutters: where has this technology gone?

Computer simulations of nematic droplets

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