Coarse-grained molecular simulation of the effect of liquid crystal molecular pitch on structure in cylindrical confinement.

Blue phases (BPs) consist of three-dimensional self-assembled structures formed by a double-twisted columnar arrangement of liquid crystal molecules. Although their unique optical and structural properties render BPs particularly useful for applications such as liquid crystal displays, BPs typically appear in a narrow temperature range between the isotropic and nematic phases. This thermodynamic instability impedes their practical applicability.

Effect of the Janus Amphiphilic Wall on the Viscosity Behavior of Aqueous Surfactant Solutions.

The effects of the chemical nature of an interface are one of the key parameters which can affect self-assembly and rheological behavior. To date, several studies have reported self-assembled structures and rheological behaviors in the development of various functional materials. In this study, we investigated the self-assembly and viscosity behavior of aqueous surfactant solutions confined in three types of Janus amphiphilic nanotubes (JANTs), which have two, four, and eight sequential domains, respectively, using molecular simulation.

Cylindrical defect structures formed by chiral nematic liquid crystals in quasi-one-dimensional systems.

Blue phases are three-dimensional self-assembly structures of liquid crystals with a lattice of line defects. They have attracted considerable interest as photonic materials. It is well known that blue phases occur in cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) under certain thermodynamic conditions; however, recent studies have indicated that confining surfaces may induce distinctive structural changes.