arXivDaily arXiv每日学术速递 周一至周五更新
arXiv 2006.01108cond-mat.softphysics.comp-ph
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用嵌段共聚物动态调谐液晶壳层中的指向矢场

Dynamic tuning of the director field in liquid crystal shells using block copolymers

JungHyun Noh, Yiwei Wang, Hsin-Ling Liang, Venkata Subba, Rao Jampani, Apala Majumdar, Jan P. F. Lagerwall

摘要:

当一个半导体液晶(LC)被限制在一个自封闭的球壳上时,拓扑约束会产生有趣的结果,这主要取决于LC在壳中的排列方式。我们证明了可逆的动态调整的对齐,从而拓扑结构,稳定的非离子两亲性嵌段共聚物普朗尼克F127的CNOLC壳。在α相的深处,指向矢与界面相切,但在接近向列-各向同性转变的温度TNI时,指向矢重新对准法线。我们将此链接到一个微妙的界面张力之间的相互作用,这是几乎独立的导演方向,和配置依赖的弹性形变能量的LC限制在一个壳。该过程主要是由加热引起的有序序参量的减少而触发的,因此在具有高TNI和低TNI的LC之间,重新排列温度分别相差几十度。在正弯曲的壳体外部的重新排列的温度总是低于在负弯曲的内部,从而在加热时产生复杂的拓扑重新配置。补充实验研究与数学建模和计算机模拟,我们确定和调查三种不同的轨迹,区分其配置的拓扑缺陷的初始切向对齐壳。我们的研究结果揭示了一个新的方面的复杂的响应LC弯曲的限制,表明LC本身的顺序可以影响的对齐,从而拓扑结构的系统。它们还揭示了两亲性嵌段共聚物稳定剂的潜力,用于实现LC壳构型的连续可调性,为拓扑动力学的深入研究以及新的应用打开大门,例如,传感和编程软执行器。

英文摘要:

When a nematic liquid crystal (LC) is confined on a self-closing spherical shell, topological constraints arise with intriguing consequences that depend critically on how the LC is aligned in the shell. We demonstrate reversible dynamic tuning of the alignment, and thereby the topology, of nematic LC shells stabilized by the nonionic amphiphilic block copolymer Pluronic F127. Deep in the nematic phase, the director is tangential to the interface, but upon approaching the temperature TNI of the nematic-isotropic transition, the director realigns to normal. We link this to a delicate interplay between an interfacial tension that is nearly independent of director orientation, and the configuration-dependent elastic deformation energy of an LC confined in a shell. The process is primarily triggered by the heating-induced reduction of the nematic order parameter, hence realignment temperatures differ by several tens of degrees between LCs with high and low TNI, respectively. The temperature of realignment is always lower on the positive-curved shell outside than at the negative-curved inside, yielding a complex topological reconfiguration on heating. Complementing experimental investigations with mathematical modeling and computer simulations, we identify and investigate three different trajectories, distinguished by their configurations of topological defects in the initial tangential-aligned shell. Our results uncover a new aspect of the complex response of LCs to curved confinement, demonstrating that the order of the LC itself can influence the alignment and thereby the topology of the system. They also reveal the potential of amphiphilic block copolymer stabilizers for enabling continuous tunability of LC shell configuration, opening doors for in-depth studies of topological dynamics as well as novel applications in, e.g., sensing and programmed soft actuators.

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