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Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics
Published on: January 13, 2023
Pattern formation from consistent dynamical closures of uniaxial nematic liquid crystals
Humberto Híjar1, Diego Marquina de Hoyos, Iván Santamaría-Holek
1Grupo de Sistemas Inteligentes, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad La Salle, Benjamín Franklin 47, 06140, DF, México. hijar@daad-alumni.de
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|March 27, 2012
Summary
This study shows that patterns and traveling waves can form in lyotropic uniaxial nematics without external driving, using dynamic closure approximations in a thermodynamic framework. The research explores pattern formation in liquid crystals.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Uniaxial polymeric liquid crystals exhibit complex pattern formation.
- Understanding these patterns is crucial for materials science and device applications.
- Dynamic closure approximations are essential for modeling liquid crystal behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pattern formation in uniaxial polymeric liquid crystals.
- To analyze the impact of different dynamic closure approximations.
- To explore the emergence of patterns and traveling waves in lyotropic nematics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized mesoscopic non-equilibrium thermodynamics and a mean-field approach.
- Derived a Fokker-Planck equation for particle orientation distribution.
- Developed evolution equations for second and fourth-order orientational tensor parameters.
- Discussed two dynamic closure approximations, including one for the fourth-order parameter relaxation.
Main Results:
- A novel free-energy-like function was derived in terms of the scalar order parameter.
- Analysis considered the system's density evolution and interaction parameters for phase coexistence.
- Predicted the spontaneous formation of patterns and traveling waves in lyotropic uniaxial nematics.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic closure approximations significantly influence pattern formation predictions.
- Lyotropic uniaxial nematics can exhibit pattern formation and traveling waves without external fields.
- The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding self-organized structures in liquid crystals.
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