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Mixtures of Blue Phase Liquid Crystal with Simple Liquids: Elastic Emulsions and Cubic Fluid Cylinders.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Lintuvuori, JS 
Stratford, K 
Cates, ME 
Marenduzzo, D 

Abstract

We numerically investigate the behavior of a phase-separating mixture of a blue phase I liquid crystal with an isotropic fluid. The resulting morphology is primarily controlled by an inverse capillary number, χ, setting the balance between interfacial and elastic forces. When χ and the concentration of the isotropic component are both low, the blue phase disclination lattice templates a cubic array of fluid cylinders. For larger χ, the isotropic phase arranges primarily into liquid emulsion droplets which coarsen very slowly, rewiring the blue phase disclination lines into an amorphous elastic network. Our blue phase-simple fluid composites can be externally manipulated: an electric field can trigger a morphological transition between cubic fluid cylinder phases with different topologies.

Description

Keywords

0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Journal Title

Phys Rev Lett

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0031-9007
1079-7114

Volume Title

121

Publisher

American Physical Society (APS)
Sponsorship
Royal Society (RP080053)
Royal Society (RP170002)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/J007404/1)