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.
Voloschenko
D
D
Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
Pishnyak
O P
OP
Shiyanovskii
S V
SV
Lavrentovich
O D
OD