Effect of director distortions on morphologies of phase separation in liquid crystals.
We study phase separation from a nematic liquid crystal with spatially nonuniform director gradients. Particles of a phase-separated component, which is either an isotropic fluid (silicone oil) or a nonmesogenic photopolymer, accumulate in the regions with the strongest director distortions, thus reducing the overall energy of the system.
Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
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D
Voloschenko
O P
OP
Pishnyak
S V
SV
Shiyanovskii
O D
OD
Lavrentovich