Abstract:

We investigate experimentally the structures that form when small colloidal particles are suspended in a nematic solvent. These structures are anisotropic, and their formation is driven by interactions arising from the orientational elasticity of the nematic solvent. By using inverted and multiple nematic emulsions composed of water droplets dispersed in a thermotropic liquid crystal, we identify the nature of these interactions, and demonstrate that they can be controlled by the anchoring of the liquid crystal molecules at the surfaces of the droplets. When the anchoring is normal, the droplets form linear chains, suggesting a long-range dipole-dipole attraction between the particles. By contrast, the interactions are repulsive at short range, and prevent contact of the droplets, thereby stabilizing them against coalescence. When the anchoring is planar, the droplets generate distortions that have a quadrupolar character. The resultant elastic interactions lead to more compact, but still anisotropic, clusters.

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