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Updated: Jan 31, 2026
09:26
Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids
Published on: April 22, 2016
10.5K
Inhomogeneous assembly of driven nematic colloids.
Josep M Pagès1, Arthur V Straube, Pietro Tierno
1Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. jignes@ub.edu.
Soft Matter
|December 18, 2018
Summary
Colloidal particles in liquid crystals form dynamic clusters driven by electric fields. Their assembly reveals distinct aggregation states and can be described by a hard-disk model, offering insights into nonequilibrium systems.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Colloidal science
- Liquid crystal physics
Background:
- Nonequilibrium systems exhibit complex behaviors not seen in equilibrium.
- Colloidal particles in liquid crystals are influenced by anisotropic interactions and external fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze the nonequilibrium assembly of colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal.
- To understand the mechanisms driving cluster formation and the resulting aggregation states.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative analysis of particle behavior under AC electric fields.
- Investigation of liquid-crystal-enabled electrokinetic phenomena.
- Characterization of aggregation states, density profiles, and bond-orientational order.
Main Results:
- Driven colloidal particles self-assemble into reconfigurable circular clusters.
- Coexistence of a jammed core and a mobile, liquid-like corona observed.
- Linear density profiles and tunable bond-orientational order identified in the corona.
- A hard-disk equation of state successfully describes the driven assembly.
Conclusions:
- Liquid-crystal-enabled electrokinetics drive colloidal particle assembly into unique structures.
- The system exhibits a balance between phoretic drive and repulsion, leading to mechanical equilibrium.
- The hard-disk model provides a framework for understanding the thermodynamics of this driven colloidal system.
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