Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Novel defect structures in nematic liquid crystal shells.

A Fernández-Nieves1, V Vitelli, A S Utada

  • 1Department of Physics and HSEAS, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|November 13, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Active many-particle systems and the emergent behavior of dense ant collectives.

Reports on progress in physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)·2024
Same author

Propagation of extended fractures by local nucleation and rapid transverse expansion of crack-front distortion.

Nature physics·2024
Same author

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel swelling behavior and suspension structure studied with small-angle neutron scattering.

Physical review. E·2023
Same author

<i>Alcanivorax borkumensis</i> biofilms enhance oil degradation by interfacial tubulation.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2023
Same author

Controlled Continuous Evolution of Enzymatic Activity Screened at Ultrahigh Throughput Using Drop-Based Microfluidics.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2023
Same author

Orientational Correlations in Active and Passive Nematic Defects.

Physical review letters·2021
Same journal

Erratum: Bacterial Turbulence at Compressible Fluid Interfaces [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 138301 (2026)].

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Unveiling Light-Quark Yukawa Flavor Structure via Dihadron Fragmentation at Lepton Colliders.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Adaptable Route to Fast Coherent State Transport via Bang-Bang-Bang Protocols.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Topological Transition and Emergence of Elasticity of Dislocation in Skyrmion Lattice: Beyond Kittel's Magnetic-Polar Analogy.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Pound-Drever-Hall Method for Superconducting-Qubit Readout.

Physical review letters·2026
Same journal

Coupling a ^{73}Ge Nuclear Spin to an Electrostatically Defined Quantum Dot in Silicon.

Physical review letters·2026
See all related articles

Investigating liquid crystal shells reveals complex defect structures. Shell thickness and variations significantly influence these structures, impacting their disclination lines and surface point defects.

Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Complex Fluids

Background:

  • Nematic liquid crystals exhibit unique orientational order.
  • Spherical shells of liquid crystals present complex defect structures.
  • Understanding these defects is crucial for materials science applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate defect structures in spherical shells of nematic liquid crystals.
  • To determine the influence of shell thickness and thickness variation on defect formation.
  • To characterize the interplay between shell geometry and defect topology.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized double-emulsion drops as a platform for experimental investigation.
  • Analyzed defect structures including disclination lines and surface point defects.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Varied shell thickness to observe transitions in defect behavior.

    • Main Results:

    • Uncovered a rich variety of coexisting defect structures.
    • Demonstrated that finite shell thickness and thickness variations dictate defect configurations.
    • Observed a transition towards bulk-like defect structures in very thick shells.

    Conclusions:

    • Shell thickness is a critical parameter governing defect structures in nematic liquid crystal shells.
    • Defect structures are adaptable and influenced by geometric constraints.
    • The study provides insights into the fundamental physics of confined liquid crystals.