Related papers: Flexoelectric switching in cholesteric blue phases
We use linear stability analysis and hybrid lattice Boltzmann simulations to study the dynamical behaviour of an active nematic confined in a channel made of viscoelastic material. We find that the quiescent, ordered active nematic is…
The stability of the equilibrium configurations of a nematic liquid crystal confined between two coaxial cylinders is analysed when a radial electric field is applied and the flexoelectric effect is taken into account. The threshold for…
We present an investigation of the phase diagram of cholesteric liquid crystals within the framework of Landau - de Gennes theory. The free energy is modified to incorporate all three Frank elastic constants and to allow for a temperature…
In this work we numerically study the switching dynamics of a 2D cholesteric emulsion droplet immersed in an isotropic fluid under an electric field, which is either uniform or rotating with constant speed. The overall dynamics depend…
Scaling down materials to an atomic-layer level produces rich physical and chemical properties as exemplified in various two-dimensional (2D) crystals extending from graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides to black phosphorous. This is…
We study the electrical behavior of multiferroic BiFeO$_3$ by means of first-principles calculations. We do so by constraining a specific component of the electric displacement field along a variety of structural paths, and by monitoring…
The recent discovery of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystalline phases marks a major breakthrough in soft matter research. An intermediate phase, often observed between the nonpolar and the ferroelectric nematic phase, shows a distinct…
The quasistatic behavior of a simple 2D model of a cohesive powder under isotropic loads is investigated by Discrete Element simulations. The loose packing states, as studied in a previous paper, undergo important structural changes under…
We investigate the evolution of multi-scale mechanical properties towards the macroscopic mechanical instability in frictional granular media under multiaxial compressive loading. Spatial correlations of shear stress redistribution…
The cubic blue phases of liquid crystals are fascinating and technologically promising examples of hierarchically structured soft materials, comprising ordered networks of defect lines (disclinations) within a liquid crystalline matrix. We…
We use full nematohydrodynamic simulations to study the statics and dynamics of monolayers of cholesteric liquid crystals. Using chirality and temperature as control parameters we show that we can recover the two-dimensional blue phases…
We elucidate the flexoelectricity of materials in the high strain gradient regime, of which the underlying mechanism is less understood. By using the generalized Bloch theorem, we uncover a strong flexoelectric-like effect in bent thinfilms…
We briefly introduce hysteresis in spatially extended systems and the dynamic phase transition observed as the frequency of the oscillating field increases beyond a critical value. Hysteresis and the decay of metastable phases are closely…
Blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) has important applications in adaptive lenses and phase modulators due to its polarization-independent property. During our efforts for development of the new materials, we found a novel phenomenology of…
We explore the rheology and flow-induced morphological changes of cholesteric liquid crystal patterns subject to Poiseuille flow within a slab geometry, and under different anchoring conditions at the wall. Our focus is particularly on the…
Flexoelectricity induced by strain gradient in dielectrics is highly desirable for electromechanical actuating and sensing systems. It is broadly adopted that flexoelectric polarization responds linearly to strain gradient without…
Biopolymer networks are common in biological systems from the cytoskeleton of individual cells to collagen in the extracellular matrix. The mechanics of these systems under applied strain can be explained in some cases by a phase transition…
It has been well established that particulate systems show the jamming transition and critical scaling behaviors associated with it. However, our knowledge is limited to (nearly) monodisperse systems. Recently, a binary mixture of jammed…
Doped HfO2 thin films exhibit robust ferroelectric properties even for nanometric thicknesses, are compatible with current Si technology and thus have great potential for the revival of integrated ferroelectrics. Phase control and…
Cholesteric liquid crystals exhibit great morphological richness of static metastable states. Understanding the transitions between such states is key for the development of switchable devices. We show, using a quasi-one-dimensional model,…