Related papers: Capillary and anchoring effects in thin hybrid nem…
Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study capillary adhesion from a nanometer scale liquid bridge between two parallel flat solid surfaces. The capillary force and the meniscus shape of the bridge are computed as the separation…
We design a nematic collider for controlled out-of-equilibrium anisotropic aggregation of spherical colloidal particles. The nematic surrounding imparts dipolar interactions among the spheres. A bidirectional backflow of the nematic liquid…
We calculate the interaction between two spherical colloidal particles embedded in the isotropic phase of a nematogenic liquid. The surface of the particles induces wetting nematic coronas that mediate an elastic interaction. In the weak…
In soft matter, the phase of nematic liquid crystals can be made from anisotropic molecules in single component materials, or as a suspension of mesoscopic nematogens. The later offers more versatility in the experimental design of complex…
We study the kinetics of the isotropic-smectic phase transition in a colloidal rod/polymer mixture by visualizing individual smectic layers. First, we show that the bulk isotropic-smectic phase transition is preceded by a surface freezing…
We consider a Lebwohl-Lasher model of chiral particles confined in a planar cell (slit pore) with different boundary conditions, and solve it using mean-field theory. The phase behaviour of the system with respect to temperature and pore…
Mono-layers of stearic and behenic acids deposited with the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, were used as aligning films in nematic liquid crystal cells. During the filling process the liquid crystal adopts a deformed quasi-planar alignment…
We introduce a coarse-grained description of the surface energy of a nematic liquid crystal. The thermal fluctuations of the nematic director close to the surface renormalize at macroscopic scales the bare surface potential in a…
In magnetic fields applied within the angular range of the surface superconductivity state a magnetically anisotropic layered medium is created in structurally isotropic, sufficiently thick niobium films. Surface (Kulik) vortices residing…
We investigate the phase behavior of colloidal suspensions of board-like particles under the effect of an external field and assess the still disputed occurrence of the biaxial nematic (N$_\text{B}$) liquid crystal phase. The external field…
We present a systematic study of capillary filling for a binary fluid by using mesoscopic a lattice Boltzmann model describing a diffusive interface moving at a given contact angle with respect to the walls. We compare the numerical results…
The linear dispersion relation for longwave surface perturbations, as derived by Levine et al. Phys. Rev. B 75, 205312 (2007) is extended to include a smooth surface energy anisotropy function with a variable anisotropy strength (from weak…
Hypothesis: Sample-spanning particle networks are used to induce structure and a yield stress, necessary for 3D printing of porous ceramics and paints. In capillary suspensions, a small quantity of immiscible secondary fluid is incorporated…
The effect of rough walls on the phase behaviour of a confined liquid crystal (LC) fluid is studied using constant pressure Monte Carlo simulations. The LC is modelled as a fluid of soft ellipsoidal molecules and the rough walls are…
To make progress towards the development of a theory on the motion of inclusions in thin structured films and membranes, we here consider as an initial step a circular disk in a two-dimensional, uniaxially anisotropic fluid layer. We assume…
Surface tension-driven flow techniques have recently emerged as an efficient means of shedding light into the rheology of thin polymer films. Motivated by experimental and theoretical approaches in films bearing a varying surface…
Shearing transitions of multi-layer molecularly thin-film lubrication systems in variations of the film-substrate coupling strength and the load are studied by using a multiscale method. Three kinds of the interlayer slips found in…
We study the equilibrium configuration of a nematic liquid crystal bounded by a rough surface. The wrinkling of the surface induces a partial melting in the degree of orientation. This softened region penetrates the bulk up to a length…
In this paper we present a generalization of a simple solid-on-solid epitaxial model of thin films growth, when surface morphology anisotropy is provoked by anisotropy in model control parameters: binding energy and/or diffusion barrier.…
Agitated wet granular matter can be considered as a nonequilibrium model system for phase transitions, where the macroscopic particles replace the molecules and the capillary bridges replace molecular bonds. It is demonstrated…