AI Article Synopsis
- Smectic liquid crystals exhibit unique microstructures formed by ordered patterns like ellipses and hyperbolas, presenting a complex challenge in filling three-dimensional space under certain conditions.
- A set of strict compatibility rules for concentric circle domains at 2D smectic interfaces has been developed, as these rules dictate the arrangement and interactions between different domains.
- The research employs numerical simulations to create a clustering algorithm that effectively identifies and analyzes the boundaries between various domains, and it proposes methods to extend this analysis to the three-dimensional smectic structures.
Article Abstract
Smectic liquid crystals are remarkable, beautiful examples of materials microstructure, with ordered patterns of geometrically perfect ellipses and hyperbolas. The solution of the complex problem of filling three-dimensional space with domains of focal conics under constraining boundary conditions yields a set of strict rules, which are similar to the compatibility conditions in a martensitic crystal. Here we present the rules giving compatible conditions for the concentric circle domains found at two-dimensional smectic interfaces with planar boundary conditions. Using configurations generated by numerical simulations, we develop a clustering algorithm to decompose the planar boundaries into domains. The interfaces between different domains agree well with the smectic compatibility conditions. We also discuss generalizations of our approach to describe the full three-dimensional smectic domains, where the variant symmetry group is the Weyl-Poincaré group of Lorentz boosts, translations, rotations, and dilatations.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.147802 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Self-Assembled Chains and Solids of Dipolar Atoms in a Multilayer.
Phys Rev Lett
December 2024
Departament de Física, Campus Nord B4-B5, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain.
We predict that ultracold bosonic dipolar gases, confined within a multilayer geometry, may undergo self-assembling processes, leading to the formation of chain gases and solids. These dipolar chains, with dipoles aligned across different layers, emerge at low densities and resemble phases observed in liquid crystals, such as nematic and smectic phases. We calculate the phase diagram using quantum Monte Carlo methods, introducing a newly devised trial wave function designed for describing the chain gas, where dipoles from different layers form chains without in-plane long-range order.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLiquid Crystalline Nanorods by Synchronized Polymerization, Self-Assembly and Oriented Attachment for Utilization in Magnetically Responsive Displays.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
December 2024
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
The creation of anisotropic nanoparticles (NPs) by polymerization and/or self-assembly (SA) has significantly promoted the applications of polymer nanomaterials in many fields. However, polymer nanorods are not easily accessible via conventional polymerization or SA. Here we report a one-step route to synthesize single-domain smectic liquid crystalline (LC) nanorods utilizing oriented attachment (OA) that was usually found in the synthesis of inorganic NPs, synchronized with polymerization and SA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffect of smectic polymers on cholesteric liquid crystals.
Phys Rev E
November 2024
William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA.
Composite materials made of polymers and liquid crystals have been widely employed in smart windows, optical filters, and bistable displays. However, it is often difficult to decipher the role of the polymer network architecture on the alignment and the texture of liquid crystals. In this study, we use a simple model system where a small amount of polymerizable liquid crystalline monomer is mixed in a liquid crystal that exhibits both a smectic phase and a cholesteric phase with a large helical pitch.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelf-diffusion in isotropic and liquid crystalline phases of fd virus colloidal rods: a combined single particle tracking and differential dynamic microscopy study.
Soft Matter
January 2025
School of Physics and Astronomy, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK.
In this article, we investigate the dynamics of self-organised suspensions formed by rod-like fd virus colloids. Two methods have been employed for analysing fluorescence microscopy movies: single particle tracking (SPT) in direct space and differential dynamic microscopy (DDM) in reciprocal space. We perform a quantitative analysis on this anisotropic system with complex diffusion across different self-assembled states, ranging from dilute and semi-dilute liquids to nematic and smectic organisations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAggregation-Induced Emission-Active Cyanostilbene-Based Liquid Crystals: Self-Assembly, Photophysical Property, and Multiresponsive Behavior.
Molecules
December 2024
Suzhou Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Design and Precision Synthesis, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Cyanostilbene (CS)-related conjugated groups can be considered as dual functional groups of AIEgen and mesogen to construct photoluminescent liquid crystals, and it is essential to study the relationship between their molecular structures and compound properties systematically. In this paper, we designed and synthesized linear and bent-shaped CS derivatives containing ester- and amide-connecting groups and different substituted numbers of alkoxy tails. Their phase behaviors and photophysical properties were investigated in depth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!