Chiral symmetry breaking and surface faceting in chromonic liquid crystal droplets with giant elastic anisotropy

Condensed Matter journal club

Chiral symmetry breaking and surface faceting in chromonic liquid crystal droplets with giant elastic anisotropy

  • Event time: 11:30am
  • Event date: 13th June 2014
  • Speaker: Anne Pawsey (Formerly School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
  • Location: Room 2511,

Event details

Abstract

Lyotropic chronomic liquid crystals (LCLCs) are water-based systems consisting of planar molecules that form aligned stacks in the nematic phase that develop two-dimensional crystalline order upon cooling to the columnar phase. They are characterized by an unusually small resistance to twist distortions. This work explores the interplay of giant elastic anisotropy and geometrical frustration imposed by boundary conditions in droplets, demonstrating, in particular, spontaneous formation in the nematic phase of chiral patterns from achiral building blocks and of central line defects and surface faceting in the columnar phase. Because LCLCs are water-loving, these findings about the combined effects of anisotropic elasticity, confinement, and frustration take steps toward tapping applications for liquid crystals in aqueous environments
PNAS 111 pages 1742-1747 (2014)
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Authors

Joonwoo Jeong, Zoey S. Davidson, Peter J. Collings, Tom C. Lubensky, A. G. Yodh

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