Event

Liquid crystals are the basis of the modern display industry because of their unique properties. Yet, liquid crystalline ordering occurs in systems beyond displays and across length scales: from molecular to colloidal assemblies. Controlling the structuring of liquid crystals across these length scales remains an open challenge. Geometrical constraints can generate patterns and defects – localized, “melted” regions of disorder that can minimize the total elastic distortion in the system. In this talk, I will present the formation of defects within molecular and colloidal liquid crystals that are induced through geometrical frustration. I will begin by presenting a familiar system of a molecular, chiral liquid crystal confined to a spherical shell, with the use of microfluidics. I will then present experiments where surface-active colloids are patterned at the liquid crystal-water interface. I will then end by surveying ongoing experiments in my group that probe the role of confinement for structuring larger-scaled, colloidal liquid crystals, such as cellulose nanocrystals and silica nanorods. These organizing principles provide insight on pattern formation in anisotropic elastic materials, across length scales, the mechanisms of which can be leveraged for designing new materials.