Related papers: Liquid crystal pretilt control by inhomogeneous su…
We investigate Isotropic - Nematic transition in liquid crystal elastomers employing non-Boltzmann Monte Carlo techniques. We consider a lattice model of a liquid elastomer and Selinger-Jeon-Ratna Hamiltonian which accounts for…
An experimental and theoretical study of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) confined in cylinders with degenerate planar boundary conditions elucidates LCLC director configurations. When the Frank saddle-splay modulus is more than…
We investigate theoretically the wetting properties of cholesteric liquid crystals at a planar substrate. If the properties of substrate and of the interface are such that the cholesteric layers are not distorted the wetting properties are…
Flagellated microswimmers B. Subtilis dispersed in a nematic phase of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal form a living liquid crystal (LLC). The combination of the passive and active components allows us to analyze how the active…
By using a phase-field crystal (PFC) model, the liquid-crystal growth of the plastic triangular phase is simulated with emphasis on crystal shape and topological defect formation. The equilibrium shape of a plastic triangular crystal (PTC)…
A lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal (LCLC) is an orientationally ordered system made by self-assembled aggregates of charged organic molecules in water, bound by weak non-covalent attractive forces and stabilized by electrostatic…
We study harmonic map sequences from surfaces to compact homogeneous spaces. For sequences developing a single bubble, we derive refined asymptotic expansions in the neck region and prove new obstruction relations among the leading…
In search for novel nematic materials, a laterally linked H-shaped liquid crystal dimer have been synthesized and characterized. The distinct feature of the material is a very broad temperature range (about 50 oC) of the nematic phase,…
The first goal of this article is to study the validity of the Zwanzig model for liquid crystals to predict transitions to inhomogeneous phases (like smectic and columnar) and the way polydispersity affects these transitions. The second…
We model within the framework of finite elasticity two inherent instabilities observed in liquid crystal elastomers under uniaxial tension. First is necking which occurs when a material sample suddenly elongates more in a small region where…
Liquid crystals are synthetic and biological viscoelastic anisotropic soft matter materials that combine liquid fluidity with crystal anisotropy and find use in optical devices, sensor/actuators, lubrication, super-fibers. Frequently…
Nematic liquid crystals at rough and fluctuating interfaces are analyzed within the Frank elastic theory and the Landau-de Gennes theory. We study specifically interfaces that locally favor planar anchoring. In the first part we reconsider…
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are soft phase-changing solids that exhibit large reversible contractions upon heating, Goldstone-like soft modes and resultant microstructural instabilities. We heat a planar LCE slab to isotropic, clamp…
Static equilibrium configurations of continua supported by surface tension are given by constant mean curvature (CMC) surfaces which are critical points of a variational problem to extremize the area while keeping the volume fixed. CMC…
McMillan liquid crystal model sandwiched between strong homeotropic anchoring walls is studied. Phase transitions between isotropic, nematic, and smectic A phases are investigated for wide ranges of an interaction parameter and of the…
Anisotropy at the level of the inter-particle interaction provides the particles with specific instructions for the self-assembly of target structures. The ability to synthesize non-spherical colloids, together with the possibility of…
We consider both equilibrium and kinetic aspects of the phase separation (``thermal faceting") of thermodynamically unstable crystal surfaces into a hill--valley structure. The model we study is an Ising lattice gas for a simple cubic…
The anisotropic shape of calamitic LC particles results in distinct energy values when nematogens are placed side-by-side or end-to-end. The energy anisotropy governed by parameter K' has deep consequences on equilibrium & non-equilibrium…
In this paper we consider in detail the properties of dynamical heterogeneity in lattice glass models (LGMs). LGMs are lattice models whose dynamical rules are based on thermodynamic, as opposed to purely kinetic, considerations. We devise…
Liquid droplets usually wet smooth and homogeneous substrates isotropically. Recent research works have revealed that droplets sit, slide and spread anisotropically on uniaxially stretched soft substrates, showing an enhanced wettability…