Designing three-dimensional disclination line architecture in nematic liquid crystals

Versatile control over liquid crystal alignment is key to the development of novel electro-optical devices. We use photo-alignment to create disclination lines with controlled architecture in nematic liquid crystals. By imposing patterns of topological surface defects at opposing parallel glass substrates, we generate three-dimensional configurations of disclination lines with pre-designed and non-trivial morphology that result from an energetic competition between defect line tension and elastic distortions. The disclination lines' shape can be further tuned by varying the temperature. This capability to precisely synthesize 3D disclination achitecture offers a promising step in constructing and manipulating optical metamaterials.