Inhomogeneous assembly of driven nematic colloids
We present a quantitative analysis of the nonequilibrium assembly of colloidal particles dispersed ina nematic liquid crystal. The driven particles assemble into reconfigurable circular clusters by liquid-crystal-enabled electrokinetic phenomena generated by an AC electric field that provides propul...
| Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Publication Date: | 2018 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repository: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/141945 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/141945 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Col·loides Cristalls líquids nemàtics Colloids Nematic liquid crystals |
| Summary: | We present a quantitative analysis of the nonequilibrium assembly of colloidal particles dispersed ina nematic liquid crystal. The driven particles assemble into reconfigurable circular clusters by liquid-crystal-enabled electrokinetic phenomena generated by an AC electric field that provides propulsionalong the local director. We identify the coexistence of different aggregation states, including a central,jammed core, where short-range elastic attraction dominates, surrounded by a liquid-like corona whereparticles retain their mobility but reach a mechanical equilibrium that we rationalize in terms of abalance between centripetal phoretic drive and pairwise repulsion. An analysis of the compressibleliquid-like region reveals a linear density profile that can be tuned with the field frequency, and abond-orientational order that reaches a maximum at intermediate packing densities, where elasticeffects are minimized. Since the phoretic propulsion force acts also on assembled particles, wecompute the mechanical pressure and show that a hard-disk equation of state can be used to describethe assembly of this driven system. |
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