Mechanism of Formation of Three Dimensional Structures of Particles in a Liquid Crystal

In this work we report methods of formation of three-dimensional structures of particles in a liquid crystal host. We found that, under the appropriate conditions, the particles are captured and dragged by the moving isotropic/nematic front during the phase transition process. This movement of the particles can be enhanced significantly or suppressed drastically with the influence of an electric field and/or with changing the conditions of the phase transition, such as the rate of cooling. As a result, a wide variety of particle structures can be obtained ranging from a fine-grained cellular structure to stripes of varying periods to a course-grained "root" structures. Changing the properties of the materials, such as the size and density of the particles and the surface anchoring of the liquid crystal at the particle surface, can also be used to control the morphology of the three-dimensional particle network and adjust the physical properties of the resulting dispersions. These particle structures may be used to affect the performance of LCD's much as polymers have been used in the past.