Abstract
It is generally thought that colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal do not generate the first multipole term called deformation elastic charge as it violates the mechanical equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that this is not the case, and deformation elastic charges, as well as dipoles and quadrupoles, can be induced through anisotropic boundary conditions. We report the first direct observation of Coulomb-like elastic interactions between colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal. The behaviour of two spherical colloidal particles with asymmetric anchoring conditions induced by asymmetric alignment is investigated experimentally; the interaction of two particles located at the boundary of twist and parallel aligned regions is observed. We demonstrate that such particles produce deformation elastic charges and interact by Coulomb-like interactions.
Highlights
Liquid crystals (LCs) are anisotropic soft materials with continuous ground-state symmetry, susceptible to breaking under the influence of external factors
The cell was injected with a mixture of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) and micro-particles
There is a rotational symmetry with respect to the axis connecting the two particles, as well as mirror symmetry with respect to the planes passing through the line connecting the two particles
Summary
Liquid crystals (LCs) are anisotropic soft materials with continuous ground-state symmetry, susceptible to breaking under the influence of external factors. Variations in the shape and structure of colloidal particles bring diverse phenomena[20,21] and new methods of handling defects may introduce new possibilities for creating functional devices[22,23,24] Both the particle shape and the surface anchoring provoke symmetry breaking by a particle immersed in an LC25,26. In the articles[23,24] authors experimentally found for the first time the monopole Coulomb-like interaction between separate point topological defects – radial and hyperbolic hedgehogs in the vicinity of the fiber in NLC. In those papers there were no colloidal particles engaged in the process of interaction. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to www.nature.com/scientificreports/
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