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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 2: Colloids and Nanoparticles

CPP 2.2: Talk

Monday, March 27, 2006, 10:15–10:30, ZEU 160

Energetics of Self-organization of 2D colloids in free-standing smectic-C films — •Christian Bohley and Ralf Stannarius — Institut für Experimentelle Physik, Abteilung Nichtlineare Phänomene, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, PF 4120, D-39016 Magdeburg

The formation of regular colloid patterns was shown experimentally for free smectic films at the transition from the smectic-C to the isotropic phase [1-3]. The self-organization of the isotropic droplets is caused by their mutual interaction, mediated by elastic distortions of the local liquid crystal (LC) director that are related to the anchoring conditions of the director at the droplet border. We describe analytically the energetics of a single droplet in the LC environment. A method of the complex analysis, the Conformal Mapping, is employed. Energetics of chain and grid patterns built from the isotropic colloids will be investigated numerically in order to explain the observed formations.

[1] C. Völtz, R. Stannarius, Phys. Rev. E 70, 061702 (2004) [2] C. Völtz, R. Stannarius, Phys. Rev. E 72, 011705 (2005) [3] R. Stannarius, C. Völtz, Phys. Rev. E 72, 032701 (2005)