Flexopolydispersity of Nematic Liquid Crystals

ORAL

Abstract

Flexopolydispersity is the coupling of gradients in the director field \textbf{n}(\textbf{r}) of a nematic phase made from a polydisperse mixture of anisotropic particles in solution to the spatial change in variables describing the local mean particle shape, size, and concentration: In solutions of sufficiently polydisperse plates this coupling can lead to a nematic phase with a ``blue-phase'' like array of +1 defect lines. Such a structure has been observed in the lyotropic nematic phase of solutions of graphene oxide sheets.

*Supported by NSF MRSEC Grant DMR-0820579.

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Authors

  • Yue Shi

    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Material Research Center, University of Colorado-Boulder

  • Dong Chen

    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Material Research Center, University of Colorado-Boulder

  • Rizwan Mahmood

    • Department of Physics, Slippery Rock University

  • Noel Clark

    • University of Colorado at Boulder
    • LCMRC, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • LCMRC, CU Boulder
    • Dept. of Physics, University of Colorado
    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Material Research Center, University of Colorado-Boulder
    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder (CO) U.S.A.