Tuning the defect configurations in nematic and smectic liquid crystalline shells

Area of Science:

• Soft Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Nested capillary microfluidics enable production of thin liquid crystalline (LC) shells.
• Stabilizers control alignment (uniform or hybrid) within LC shells.
• LC shells offer tunable properties for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate textural transformations during phase transitions in nematic and smectic LC shells.
• Analyze defect interactions with inclusions and boundary conditions.
• Explore defect relocation via gravitational field manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nested capillary microfluidics for shell fabrication.
• Varied boundary conditions and stabilizers to control LC alignment.
• Applied gravitational field rotation to induce structural rearrangement.

Main Results:

• Inclusions can seed defects not forming in pristine shells, enabling defect configuration tuning.
• Non-density-matched internal phases lead to structural rearrangement under gravity.
• Defect configurations are tunable by modifying shell properties and external forces.

Conclusions:

• Defects in LC shells act as anchor points for self-assembly of adjacent shells.
• Tunable defect arrangements offer significant potential for designing novel LC materials.
• This work presents a versatile platform for advanced self-assembling materials.