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 Concept Videos

Colloids03:22

Colloids

21.4K
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
21.4K
Colloids and Suspensions01:17

Colloids and Suspensions

3.6K
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...
3.6K
Colloidal precipitates01:09

Colloidal precipitates

6.5K
The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
6.5K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

18.1K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
18.1K
Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization01:25

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

5.2K
Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent...
5.2K
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes02:58

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

31.0K
Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
31.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Morphological changes in smectic liquid crystal microstructures.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

Propulsion of laser printed polymer micro-rods by a low frequency electric field in nematic liquid crystals.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

Whispering gallery mode study of phase transition and shape change in liquid crystal droplets.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

Three-Dimensional Planar Alignment of Nematic Liquid Crystal by Direct Laser Writing of Nanogratings.

ACS photonics·2025
Same author

Photonic Eigenmodes of 2D Cylindrical Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Resonators.

ACS photonics·2025
Same author

Focused beam propagation in cholesteric liquid crystals.

Optics express·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 16, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
06:24

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

6.9K

Nematic Liquid-Crystal Colloids.

Igor Muševič1,2

  • 1J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia. igor.musevic@ijs.si.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 4, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nematic liquid-crystal colloids exhibit strong forces and complex topological defects due to microparticle interactions. These phenomena offer a unique platform for exploring fundamental topological principles.

Keywords:
colloidsexperimental topologyhandlebodiesliquid crystal

More Related Videos

Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals
08:54

Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 25, 2016

9.0K
Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
12:21

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Published on: February 6, 2016

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 16, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
06:24

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

6.9K
Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals
08:54

Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 25, 2016

9.0K
Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
12:21

Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites

Published on: February 6, 2016

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Colloid Science
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Colloidal matter dispersed in liquid crystals presents unique physical properties.
  • Nematic liquid crystals serve as solvents, interacting with dispersed microparticles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the emerging field of nematic liquid-crystal colloids.
  • To highlight the unique characteristics of these colloids, including topological defects and strong interparticle forces.

Main Methods:

  • Dispersion of microparticles with varying shapes within a nematic liquid crystal solvent.
  • Observation and analysis of induced local deformations and topological defects.

Main Results:

  • Microparticles induce local liquid crystal deformations, creating topological defects and long-range interparticle forces.
  • Colloidal forces in nematic colloids are significantly stronger than in conventional colloids.
  • Topological defects manifest in diverse forms, including points, loops, and soliton-like structures.

Conclusions:

  • Nematic liquid-crystal colloids represent a novel state of matter with potent interparticle interactions.
  • The rich topological phenomena observed provide a valuable system for testing topological theorems.
  • Tunability of defects using techniques like laser tweezers enhances their utility in fundamental research.