Issue 33, 2013

Liquid crystal necklaces: cholesteric drops threaded by thin cellulose fibres

Abstract

Liquid crystals in confined geometries exhibit numerous complex structures often including topological defects that are controlled by the nematic elasticity, chirality and surface anchoring. In this work, we study the structures of cholesteric droplets pierced by cellulose fibres with planar anchoring at droplet and fibre surfaces. By varying the temperature we demonstrate the role of twisting power and droplet diameter on the equilibrium structures. The observed structures are complemented by detailed numerical simulations of possible director fields decorated by defects. Three distinct structures, a bipolar and two ring configurations, are identified experimentally and numerically. Designing cholesteric liquid crystal microdroplets on thin long threads opens new routes to produce fibre waveguides decorated with complex microresonators.

Graphical abstract: Liquid crystal necklaces: cholesteric drops threaded by thin cellulose fibres

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Apr 2013
Accepted
21 May 2013
First published
21 May 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 7928-7933

Liquid crystal necklaces: cholesteric drops threaded by thin cellulose fibres

Y. Geng, D. Seč, P. L. Almeida, O. D. Lavrentovich, S. Žumer and M. H. Godinho, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 7928 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM50900A

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