Self-assembled toron-like structures in inverse nematic gels.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Soft Matter Physics
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Nematic gels (N-gels) typically encapsulate liquid crystals (LCs) within gelator networks.
• A novel inverse N-gel structure has been identified, differing from conventional designs.
• This inverse N-gel features bright flower-like domains (BFDs) dispersed within an LC matrix.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize a novel inverse nematic gel (N-gel) structure.
• To investigate the self-organization of gelator fibers within bright flower-like domains (BFDs).
• To understand the formation of topologically protected toron-like structures and their skyrmion director profile.

Main Methods:

• Optical microscopy was employed to observe the gel structure.
• Confocal microscopy was utilized to determine the liquid crystal director configuration.
• Analysis focused on deducing intermolecular interactions driving the formation of twisted structures.

Main Results:

• A novel inverse N-gel architecture was successfully synthesized and characterized.
• Bright flower-like domains (BFDs) rich in gelator fibers were observed within the LC matrix.
• Localized toron-like structures with a skyrmion director profile were identified, indicating topological protection.

Conclusions:

• The self-organization of helical gelator fibers within BFDs leads to unique, topologically protected toron-like structures.
• The study elucidates the formation mechanism of these inverse N-gels and their internal twisted structures.
• Understanding these structures offers insights into intermolecular interactions in complex soft matter systems.