Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids
We use full nematohydrodynamic simulations to study the statics and dynamics of monolayers of cholesteric liquid crystals. Using chirality and temperature as control parameters, we show that we can recover the two-dimensional blue phases recently observed in chiral nematics, where hexagonal lattices...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Taylor and Francis
2018
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| _version_ | 1797099757736296448 |
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| author | Metselaar, L Doostmohammadi, A Yeomans, J |
| author_facet | Metselaar, L Doostmohammadi, A Yeomans, J |
| author_sort | Metselaar, L |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | We use full nematohydrodynamic simulations to study the statics and dynamics of monolayers of cholesteric liquid crystals. Using chirality and temperature as control parameters, we show that we can recover the two-dimensional blue phases recently observed in chiral nematics, where hexagonal lattices of half-skyrmion topological excitations are interleaved by lattices of trefoil topological defects. Furthermore, we characterise the transient dynamics during the quench from isotropic to blue phase. We then proceed by confining cholesteric stripes and blue phases within finite-sized tactoids and show that it is possible to access a wealth of reconfigurable droplet shapes including disk-like, elongated and star-shaped morphologies. Our results demonstrate a potential for constructing controllable, stable structures of liquid crystals by constraining 2D blue phases and varying the chirality, surface tension and elastic constants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:28:08Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:e1414dd9-7499-482c-90e8-b993bbc9b03e |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T05:28:08Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:e1414dd9-7499-482c-90e8-b993bbc9b03e2022-03-27T09:53:15ZTwo-dimensional, blue phase tactoidsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e1414dd9-7499-482c-90e8-b993bbc9b03eSymplectic Elements at OxfordTaylor and Francis2018Metselaar, LDoostmohammadi, AYeomans, JWe use full nematohydrodynamic simulations to study the statics and dynamics of monolayers of cholesteric liquid crystals. Using chirality and temperature as control parameters, we show that we can recover the two-dimensional blue phases recently observed in chiral nematics, where hexagonal lattices of half-skyrmion topological excitations are interleaved by lattices of trefoil topological defects. Furthermore, we characterise the transient dynamics during the quench from isotropic to blue phase. We then proceed by confining cholesteric stripes and blue phases within finite-sized tactoids and show that it is possible to access a wealth of reconfigurable droplet shapes including disk-like, elongated and star-shaped morphologies. Our results demonstrate a potential for constructing controllable, stable structures of liquid crystals by constraining 2D blue phases and varying the chirality, surface tension and elastic constants. |
| spellingShingle | Metselaar, L Doostmohammadi, A Yeomans, J Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title | Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title_full | Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title_fullStr | Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title_short | Two-dimensional, blue phase tactoids |
| title_sort | two dimensional blue phase tactoids |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT metselaarl twodimensionalbluephasetactoids AT doostmohammadia twodimensionalbluephasetactoids AT yeomansj twodimensionalbluephasetactoids |