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Curvature generation in nematic surfaces.


Type

Article

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Authors

Mostajeran, Cyrus 

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the study of shape formation using modern responsive materials that can be preprogrammed to undergo spatially inhomogeneous local deformations. In particular, nematic liquid crystalline solids offer exciting possibilities in this context. Considerable recent progress has been made in achieving a variety of shape transitions in thin sheets of nematic solids by engineering isolated points of concentrated Gaussian curvature using topological defects in the nematic director field across textured surfaces. In this paper, we consider ways of achieving shape transitions in thin sheets of nematic glass by generation of nonlocalized Gaussian curvature in the absence of topological defects in the director field. We show how one can blueprint any desired Gaussian curvature in a thin nematic sheet by controlling the nematic alignment angle across the surface and highlight specific patterns which present feasible initial targets for experimental verification of the theory.

Description

Keywords

Liquid Crystals, Mechanical Phenomena, Models, Theoretical, Surface Properties

Journal Title

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1539-3755
1550-2376

Volume Title

91

Publisher

American Physical Society (APS)
Sponsorship
EPSRC (1355845)
The author is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom.