Brownian Dynamics Of Particles “Dressed” By Chiral Director Configurations In Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals

Authors

A. Martinez
Peter J. Collings, Swarthmore CollegeFollow
A. G. Yodh

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2018

Published In

Physical Review Letters

Abstract

We study Brownian dynamics of colloidal spheres, with planar anchoring conditions, suspended in the nematic phase of the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal disodium chromoglycate (DSCG). Unlike typical liquid crystals, the unusually small twist elastic modulus of DSCG permits two energetically distinct helical distortions (twisted tails) of the nematic director to “dress” the suspended spheres. Video microscopy is used to characterize the helical distortions versus particle size and to measure particle mean-square displacements. Diffusion coefficients parallel and perpendicular to the far-field director, and their anisotropy ratio, are different for the two twisted tail configurations. Moreover, the crossover from subdiffusive to diffusive behavior is anomalously slow for motion perpendicular to the director (>100 s). Simple arguments using Miesowicz viscosities and ideas about twist relaxation are suggested to understand the mean-square displacement observations.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of the American Physical Society. © 2018 American Physical Society

Recommended Citation

A. Martinez, Peter J. Collings, and A. G. Yodh. (2018). "Brownian Dynamics Of Particles “Dressed” By Chiral Director Configurations In Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals". Physical Review Letters. Volume 121, Issue 17. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.177801
https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-physics/366