Effective pair interactions between colloidal particles at a nematic-isotropic interface

Effective pair interactions between colloidal particles at a nematic - isotropic interface

– The Landau-de Gennes free energy is used to study theoretically the interaction of parallel cylindrical colloidal particles trapped at a nematic-isotropic interface. We find that the effective interaction potential is non-monotonic. The corresponding force-distance curves exhibit jumps and hysteresis upon approach/separation due to the creation/annihilation of topological defects. Minimizatio...

Isotropic-nematic interface and wetting in suspensions of colloidal platelets.

We study interfacial phenomena in a colloidal dispersion of sterically stabilized gibbsite platelets, exhibiting coexisting isotropic and nematic phases separated by a sharp horizontal interface. The nematic phase wets a vertical glass wall and polarized light micrographs reveal homeotropic surface anchoring both at the free isotropic-nematic interface and at the wall. On the basis of complete ...

Interactions between Particles at a Fluid Interface

Surface modes at the nematic-isotropic interface.

We examine surface modes at the nematic-isotropic interface using the generalized dynamical Landau-de Gennes theory. We assume an isothermal, infinite, unbounded nematic-isotropic system characterized by a scalar order parameter, both phases having the same density and viscosity, respectively. The generalized dispersion relation is obtained and analyzed in particular cases. Order parameter rela...

Waves at the Nematic-isotropic Interface

We examine surface modes at the nematic-isotropic interface in polymer-liquid-crystal mixtures using the dynamical Landau-de Gennes model for the orientational (non-conserved) order parameter coupled with Cahn-Hilliard equation for concentration (conserved order parameter) and with hydrodynamic degrees of freedom. The generalized dispersion relation is obtained and analyzed in particular cases....