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Article

Topological Defect-Guided Regular Stacking of Focal Conic Domains in Hybrid-Aligned Smectic Liquid Crystal Shells

Department of Physics & Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, 162a, Avenue de la Faiencerie, 1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Crystals 2021, 11(8), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080913
Submission received: 11 July 2021 / Revised: 31 July 2021 / Accepted: 1 August 2021 / Published: 4 August 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue In Celebration of Noel A. Clark’s 80th Birthday)

Abstract

We study liquid crystal (LC) shells in hybrid configuration (director tangential to the inside but normal to the outside) as they slowly undergo a transition from a nematic (N) to a smectic-A (SmA) phase. Every shell has two antipodal +1 topological defects, at the thinnest and thickest points, respectively. On cooling from N to SmA, the symmetry axis connecting the defects gradually reorients from along gravity to perpendicular to it, reversibly and continuously, if the LC and aqueous phase are density matched at the N-SmA transition. This suggests reduced density near the defects—reflecting a local reduction in order—under the strong confinement with antagonistic boundary conditions. In the SmA phase, a regular array of focal conic domains (FCDs) develops, templated in position and orientation by the +1 defect at the thinnest point. Around this defect, a single complete toroidal FCD always develops, surrounded by incomplete FCDs. In contrast to similar FCD arrangements on flat aqueous interfaces, this is a stable situation, since the two +1 defects are required by the spherical topology. Our results demonstrate how the topological defects of LC shells can be used to template complex self-organized structures. With a suitable adaption of the LC chemistry, shells might serve as a basis for producing solid particles with complex yet highly regular morphologies.
Keywords: liquid crystal shell; nematic; smectic-A; spherical topology; topological defects; focal conic domains liquid crystal shell; nematic; smectic-A; spherical topology; topological defects; focal conic domains

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MDPI and ACS Style

Noh, J.; Lagerwall, J.P.F. Topological Defect-Guided Regular Stacking of Focal Conic Domains in Hybrid-Aligned Smectic Liquid Crystal Shells. Crystals 2021, 11, 913. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080913

AMA Style

Noh J, Lagerwall JPF. Topological Defect-Guided Regular Stacking of Focal Conic Domains in Hybrid-Aligned Smectic Liquid Crystal Shells. Crystals. 2021; 11(8):913. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080913

Chicago/Turabian Style

Noh, JungHyun, and Jan P. F. Lagerwall. 2021. "Topological Defect-Guided Regular Stacking of Focal Conic Domains in Hybrid-Aligned Smectic Liquid Crystal Shells" Crystals 11, no. 8: 913. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080913

APA Style

Noh, J., & Lagerwall, J. P. F. (2021). Topological Defect-Guided Regular Stacking of Focal Conic Domains in Hybrid-Aligned Smectic Liquid Crystal Shells. Crystals, 11(8), 913. https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080913

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