摘要
Creation of a topological defect array in liquid crystals has been a notable focus in recent years, because the defect array can be utilized as precision optics, templates of self-assembled microstructures, and elastomer actuators. So far, the defect arrays are created intuitively by trial and error. Systematic rules to arrange defects into stable long-ranged arrays are in demand. A model of two-dimensional square and hexagonal defect array was developed based on previous experimental results. The model is generalized for defect crystals and quasicrystals in this research. A crystal is the periodic repetition of a unit cell. A stable defect crystal must have minimum free energy, and the arrangement of the defects must obey the topological conservation laws. By solving the Euler-Lagrange equation of the director field of a unit cell and by integrating the topological rules into the boundary conditions, the director field of a defect crystal can be easily obtained. A large variety of defect crystals and quasicrystals are derived. The lattices are rectangular, triangular, square, pentagonal, and hexagonal. The defects can be either radial or azimuthal (vortex-like). The nematic and vector orders are both considered. The collection of defect crystals is presented here as a catalog for the designers.
原文 | English |
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文章編號 | 121906 |
頁(從 - 到) | 1-7 |
頁數 | 7 |
期刊 | Applied Physics Letters |
卷 | 119 |
發行號 | 12 |
DOIs | |
出版狀態 | Published - 20 9月 2021 |