Issue 48, 2012

Geometrical frustration of chiral ordering in cholesteric droplets

Abstract

Frustration of chiral ordering is explored in cholesteric liquid crystal droplets with planar degenerate anchoring using numerical modeling. Droplets of variable pitches are studied, demonstrating the role of a gradually increasing cholesteric pitch and the corresponding equilibrium structures. All previously known structures are identified but with notable differences. The structures presented with director fields are complemented with a detailed description of the defect regions. The characteristic half-diameter +2 disclination from previous studies is found to be in fact a double-helix of two λ+1 disclination lines, whereas the full-diameter +1 disclination is composed of an alternating series of τ−1/2 and λ+1/2 disclination rings. Finally, two new meta-stable cholesteric structures -Lyre and Yeti- are found, which are characterised by complex compositions of cholesteric disclinations.

Graphical abstract: Geometrical frustration of chiral ordering in cholesteric droplets

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Sep 2012
Accepted
03 Oct 2012
First published
09 Nov 2012

Soft Matter, 2012,8, 11982-11988

Geometrical frustration of chiral ordering in cholesteric droplets

D. Seč, T. Porenta, M. Ravnik and S. Žumer, Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 11982 DOI: 10.1039/C2SM27048J

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