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Influence of a random field on particle fractionation and solidification in liquid-crystal colloid mixtures

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Abstract.

The influence of a random-anisotropy (RA) type disorder on the phase separation of nematogen-colloid mixtures is studied theoretically by combining the phenomenological Landau-de Gennes, Carnahan-Starling, and hard-sphere crystal theories. We assume that the colloids enforce the RA disorder on the surrounding thermotropic liquid-crystal (LC) molecules. We adopt the Imry-Ma argument according to which the lower-temperature phase exhibits a domain-type pattern. The colloids impose a finite degree of orientational ordering even in the isotropic (paranematic) phase. In the ordered phase they give rise to a domain-type structure, resulting in the distorted nematic (speronematic) phase. The RA field opposes the phase separation tendency. With increasing disorder the difference between the paranematic and speronematic ordering decreases. Consequently there is a critical disorder, above which both phases become identical from the orientation point of view, but have different concentrations of colloids. We have also estimated another characteristic value of disorder above which the isotropic phase can exist only in a liquid state, the crystal phase being suppressed completely.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, P.O. Box MG-11, 077125, Bucharest, Romania

    V. Popa-Nita

  2. Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MD, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    P. van der Schoot

  3. Laboratory Physics of Complex Systems, Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Koroška 160, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia

    S. Kralj

  4. Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    S. Kralj

Authors
  1. V. Popa-Nita
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  2. P. van der Schoot
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  3. S. Kralj
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Correspondence to V. Popa-Nita.

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Popa-Nita, V., van der Schoot, P. & Kralj, S. Influence of a random field on particle fractionation and solidification in liquid-crystal colloid mixtures. Eur. Phys. J. E 21, 189–197 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2006-10059-3

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