2D interactions and binary crystals of dipolar and quadrupolar nematic colloids.

In this Letter, we demonstrate that the symmetry of the elastic interaction between the dipolar and quadrupolar colloidal particles in the nematic liquid crystal leads to a novel variety of 2D nematic "binary" colloidal crystals, which have not been observed in any colloidal system. The di...

Descrición completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Main Authors: Ognysta, U, Nych, A, Nazarenko, V, Musevic, I, Skarabot, M, Ravnik, M, Zumer, S, Poberaj, I, Babic, D
Formato: Journal article
Idioma:English
Publicado: 2008
Descripción
Summary:In this Letter, we demonstrate that the symmetry of the elastic interaction between the dipolar and quadrupolar colloidal particles in the nematic liquid crystal leads to a novel variety of 2D nematic "binary" colloidal crystals, which have not been observed in any colloidal system. The dipolar-quadrupolar interaction is highly anisotropic and shows a power-law dependence when the particles approach each other along the director field with a pair-binding energy of the order of several thousands of k(B)T for 4 microm diameter colloids.