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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Optical Textures and Orientational Structures in Cholesteric Droplets with Conical Boundary Conditions
Anna P Gardymova1, Mikhail N Krakhalev1,2, Victor Ya Zyryanov2
1Institute of Engineering Physics and Radio Electronics, Siberian Federal University, 660041 Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Abstract:
Cholesteric droplets dispersed in polymer with conical boundary conditions have been studied. The director configurations are identified by the polarising microscopy technique. The axisymmetric twisted axial-bipolar configuration with the surface circular defect at the droplet's equator is formed at the relative chirality parameter N 0 ≤ 2.9 . The intermediate director configuration with the deformed circular defect is realised at 2.9 < N 0 < 3.95 , and the layer-like structure with the twisted surface defect loop is observed at N 0 ≥ 3.95 . The cholesteric layers in the layer-like structure are slightly distorted although the cholesteric helix is untwisted.
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