2012/11/19 by Vinzenz Koning, Koning, V., Teresa López‐León +5
Computer Science · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Liquid Crystal Research Advancements #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Micro and Nano Robotics #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1211.4622
openalex publication_date 2012/11/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a theoretical study of the director fields and energetics of nematic liquid crystal shells with two pairs of surface defects. The pairs of defects can undergo abrupt transitions between a configuration of maximum separation to at state in which the defects are confined to the thinnest hemisphere. We construct a phase diagram that maps out the stability and coexistence of these two configurations as a function of shell thickness and thickness inhomogeneity. Our results compare favorably with the experimentally observed transitions in nematic double emulsion droplets and explain their hysteretic character.