Issue 12, 2008
From the journal:

Soft Matter

Interactions of micro-rods in a thin layer of a nematic liquid crystal†

Uroš Tkalec,a   Miha Škarabotab  and  Igor Muševič*ab  

* Corresponding authors

a J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, Ljubljana, Slovenia
E-mail: igor.musevic@ijs.si

b Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

We present an experimental analysis of the topological properties of a nematic liquid crystal in the vicinity of small cylindrical objects (micro-rods), dispersed in the nematic liquid crystal 5CB (4-n-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl). Depending on the type of liquid crystal anchoring on the surfaces of micro-rods, we have observed two types of the symmetry in the surrounding liquid crystal molecules: dipolar and quadrupolar. Using the manipulation of micro-rods with laser tweezers, the strength and separation dependencies of various pair interaction potentials have been determined. Our results are in qualitative agreement with previous theoretical predictions for 2D interactions of micro-rods in the nematic liquid crystals.

Graphical abstract: Interactions of micro-rods in a thin layer of a nematic liquid crystal

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B807979J
Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 May 2008
Accepted
16 Jul 2008
First published
24 Sep 2008

Soft Matter, 2008,4, 2402-2409

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Interactions of micro-rods in a thin layer of a nematic liquid crystal

U. Tkalec, M. Škarabot and I. Muševič, Soft Matter, 2008, 4, 2402 DOI: 10.1039/B807979J

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