Colloidal particles dissolved in a nematic solvent experience long-ranged interactions. These effective interactions are generated by the distortions of the liquid crystal director around the particles and results in their clustering and self-organization. Upon approaching and at the nematic-isotropic transition, the solvent forms nematic and isotropic domains, which leads to an additional interaction of the particles with the interface between the two phases.

Using finite-element methods with adaptive meshes and molecular dynamics we are looking at the effective interparticle interactions induced by the defects and nematic-isotropic interface.

Publications

J. L. West, K. Zhang, A. Glushchenko, D. Andrienko, M. Tasinkevych, Y. Reznikov, Colloidal particles at a nematic-isotropic interface: effects of confinement, Eurpohys. J. E, 20, 237-242, 2006, [cond-mat/0606169].

D. Andrienko, M. Tasinkevych, and S. Dietrich, Effective pair interactions between colloidal particles at a nematic-isotropic interface, Europhys. Lett., 70, 95-101, 2005, [cond-mat/0501573].

D. Andrienko, M. Tasinkevych, P. Patricio, and M. M. T. da Gama, Interaction of colloids with a nematic-isotropic interface, Phys. Rev. E 69 (2004), [cond-mat/0312203].

N. M. Silvestre, P. Patricio, M. Tasinkevych, D. Andrienko, and M. M. Telo da Gama, Colloidal disks in nematic liquid crystals, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, 16, p. S1921-S1930, 2004,

D. Andrienko, M. Tasinkevych, P. Patricio, M. P. Allen, and M. M. Telo da Gama, Forces between elongated particles in a nematic colloid, Phys. Rev. E, 68, 051702, 2003, [cond-mat/0307261].

J. L. West, A. Glushchenko, G. X. Liao, Y. Reznikov, D. Andrienko, and M. P. Allen, Phys. Rev. E 66, 012702 (2002), [cond-mat/0205084].

D. Andrienko, M. P. Allen, G. Skacej, S. Zumer, Defect structures and torque on an elongated colloidal particle immersed in a liquid crystal host, Phys. Rev. E, 65, p. 041702, 2002, [cond-mat/0203018].

D. Andrienko, G. Germano, and M. P. Allen, Computer simulation of topological defects around a colloidal particle or droplet dispersed in a nematic host, Phys. Rev. E, 63, p. 041701, 2001, [cond-mat/0203062].