Colloidal interactions and unusual crystallization versus de-mixing of elastic multipoles formed by gold mesoflowers.

ABSTRACT: Colloidal interactions in nematic liquid crystals can be described as interactions between elastic multipoles that depend on particle shape, topology, chirality, boundary conditions and induced topological defects. Here, we describe a nematic colloidal system consisting of mesostructures of gold capable of inducing elastic multipoles of different order. Elastic monopoles are formed by relatively large asymmetric mesoflower particles, for which gravity and elastic torque balancing yields monopole-type interactions. High-order multipoles are instead formed by smaller mesoflowers with a myriad of shapes corresponding to multipoles of different orders, consistent with our computer simulations based on free energy minimization. We reveal unexpected many-body interactions in this colloidal syste

SUBMITTER: Yuan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6954209 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature