Elastocapillary interactions on nematic films.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 112(20): 6336-40, 2015 May 19.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25941380
ABSTRACT
Rod-like colloids distort fluid interfaces and interact by capillarity. We explore this interaction at the free surface of aligned nematic liquid crystal films. Naive comparison of capillary and elastic energies suggests that particle assembly would be determined solely by surface tension. Here, we demonstrate that, under certain circumstances, the capillary and elastic effects are complementary and each plays an important role. Particles assemble end-to-end, as dictated by capillarity, and align along the easy axis of the director field, as dictated by elasticity. On curved fluid interfaces, however, curvature capillary energies can overcome the elastic orientations and drive particle migration along curvature gradients. Domains of dominant interaction and their transition are investigated.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article