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Morphogenesis of liquid crystal topological defects during the nematic-smectic A phase transition

Author

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  • Min-Jun Gim

    (Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KINC, KAIST)

  • Daniel A. Beller

    (Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University)

  • Dong Ki Yoon

    (Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and KINC, KAIST)

Abstract

The liquid crystalline phases of matter each possess distinct types of defects that have drawn great interest in areas such as topology, self-assembly and material micropatterning. However, relatively little is known about how defects in one liquid crystalline phase arise from defects or deformations in another phase upon crossing a phase transition. Here, we directly examine defects in the in situ thermal phase transition from nematic to smectic A in hybrid-aligned liquid crystal droplets on water substrates, using experimental, theoretical and numerical analyses. The hybrid-aligned nematic droplet spontaneously generates boojum defects. During cooling, toric focal conic domains arise through a sequence of morphological transformations involving nematic stripes and locally aligned focal conic domains. This simple experiment reveals a surprisingly complex pathway by which very different types of defects may be related across the nematic–smectic A phase transition, and presents new possibilities for controlled deformation and patterning of liquid crystals.

Suggested Citation

  • Min-Jun Gim & Daniel A. Beller & Dong Ki Yoon, 2017. "Morphogenesis of liquid crystal topological defects during the nematic-smectic A phase transition," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15453
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15453
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu Ma & Yucen Han & Yan-Song Zhang & Yong Geng & Apala Majumdar & Jan P. F. Lagerwall, 2024. "Tunable templating of photonic microparticles via liquid crystal order-guided adsorption of amphiphilic polymers in emulsions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Jack Paget & Marco G. Mazza & Andrew J. Archer & Tyler N. Shendruk, 2023. "Complex-tensor theory of simple smectics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

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