Shapes and forms for 2D liquid crystal materials

<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Anisotropic 2D colloids can show a plethora of liquid crystalline phases including nematic, columnar and smectic. Due to the ability to control the shape and forms, zirconium phosphate nanoplates have been utilized as a model system. We will discuss the challenges for controlling the size, shape and forms of 2D materials in general. <span style="margin:0px"> </span>We also present results on control of their self-assembly using external fields including shear, electromagnetic, optical, temperature gradient and gravity.</font></p>