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Norouzi S, Zhang R, Munguia-Fernández JG, de Pablo L, Zhou Y, Taheri-Qazvini N, Shapiro H, Morin S, Martinez-Gonzalez JA, Sadati M, de Pablo JJ. Director Distortion and Phase Modulation in Deformable Nematic and Smectic Liquid Crystal Spheroids. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:15272-15281. [PMID: 36454950 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The growing interest in integrating liquid crystals (LCs) into flexible and miniaturized technologies brings about the need to understand the interplay between spatially curved geometry, surface anchoring, and the order associated with these materials. Here, we integrate experimental methods and computational simulations to explore the competition between surface-induced orientation and the effects of deformable curved boundaries in uniaxially and biaxially stretched nematic and smectic microdroplets. We find that the director field of the nematic LCs upon uniaxial strain reorients and forms a larger twisted defect ring to adjust to the new deformed geometry of the stretched droplet. Upon biaxial extension, the director field initially twists in the now oblate geometry and subsequently transitions into a uniform vertical orientation at high strains. In smectic microdroplets, on the other hand, LC alignment transforms from a radial smectic layering to a quasi-flat layering in a compromise between interfacial and dilatation forces. Upon removing the mechanical strain, the smectic LC recovers its initial radial configuration; however, the oblate geometry traps the nematic LC in the metastable vertical state. These findings offer a basis for the rational design of LC-based flexible devices, including wearable sensors, flexible displays, and smart windows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Norouzi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Rui Zhang
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Juan G Munguia-Fernández
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1580, San Luis Potosí 78295, México
| | - Luis de Pablo
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Ye Zhou
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Nader Taheri-Qazvini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Harrison Shapiro
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Samuel Morin
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E 59th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Jose A Martinez-Gonzalez
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1580, San Luis Potosí 78295, México
| | - Monirosadat Sadati
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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Davies M, Hobbs MJ, Nohl J, Davies B, Rodenburg C, Willmott JR. Aerosol jet printing polymer dispersed liquid crystals on highly curved optical surfaces and edges. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18496. [PMID: 36323762 PMCID: PMC9630532 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23292-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate a new technique for producing Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) devices utilising aerosol jet printing (AJP). PDLCs require two substrates to act as scaffold for the Indium Tin Oxide electrodes, which restricts the device geometries. Our approach precludes the requirement for the second substrate by printing the electrode directly onto the surface of the PDLC, which is also printed. The process has the potential to be precursory to the implementation of non-contact printing techniques for a variety of liquid crystal-based devices on non-planar substrates. We report the demonstration of direct deposition of PDLC films onto non-planar optical surfaces, including a functional device printed over the 90° edge of a prism. Scanning Electron Microscopy is used to inspect surface features of the polymer electrodes and the liquid crystal domains in the host polymer. The minimum relaxation time of the PDLC was measured at 1.3 ms with an 800 Hz, 90 V, peak-to-peak (Vpp) applied AC field. Cross-polarised transmission is reduced by up to a factor of 3.9. A transparent/scattering contrast ratio of 1.4 is reported between 0 and 140 V at 100 Hz.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Davies
- Sensor Systems Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
| | - Matthew J. Hobbs
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262Sensor Systems Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - James Nohl
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Benedict Davies
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262Sensor Systems Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Cornelia Rodenburg
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jon R. Willmott
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262Sensor Systems Group, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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3
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Zhang XJ, Sun YW, Li ZW, Sun ZY. Transition kinetics of defect patterns in confined two-dimensional smectic liquid crystals. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:044704. [PMID: 34781539 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.044704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Topological defects in liquid crystals under confined geometries have attracted extensive research interests. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the formation and transition of defect patterns in two-dimensional smectic Gay-Berne liquid crystals with a simple rectangular confinement boundary. Two typical types of defect patterns, bridge and diagonal defect patterns, are observed, which can be transformable continuously between each other over time. The transition usually starts from the line or point defect regions, and the competition between neighboring and opposite boundary effects induces the continuous realignments of the smectic layers to connect the neighboring or opposite walls. The relative stability of these two defect patterns can be controlled by changing the confinement conditions. These results deepen our understanding of transition kinetics of defect patterns in confined liquid crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yu-Wei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zhan-Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zhao-Yan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China and University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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4
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Chiccoli C, Evangelista LR, Pasini P, Skačej G, de Souza RT, Zannoni C. Influence of boundary conditions on the order and defects of biaxial nematic droplets. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:032702. [PMID: 31639958 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.032702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We employ Monte Carlo simulations to study the defects occurring in a nematic droplet formed by biaxial molecules. The simulations are carried out using a lattice model based on a dispersive orientational biaxial potential previously employed to establish the rich phase diagram of the system. The focus of the present investigation is on the molecular organization inside the droplet when bipolar and toroidal anchoring conditions at the surface are considered. In both cases, we describe how the defect structure arises in the system, and we analyze the behavior of the defect core region in connection with the elastic properties of the phase in a continuum theory perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Chiccoli
- INFN Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - L R Evangelista
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.,Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata del Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - P Pasini
- INFN Sezione di Bologna, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - G Skačej
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - R Teixeira de Souza
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.,Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 CEP 86812-460-Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil
| | - C Zannoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari," Università di Bologna and INSTM, Viale Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
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Vieira da Silva B, Yednak C, Chiccoli C, Pasini P, Evangelista L, Teixeira de Souza R, Zannoni C. Analytical and computer simulation study of molecular ordering of a liquid-crystalline system in annular confinements. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Nozawa T, Brumby PE, Ayuba S, Yasuoka K. Ordering in clusters of uniaxial anisotropic particles during homogeneous nucleation and growth. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:054903. [PMID: 30736692 DOI: 10.1063/1.5064410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Nozawa
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Paul E. Brumby
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Sho Ayuba
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
| | - Kenji Yasuoka
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan
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