Directed assembly of gold nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals at curved interfaces
ORAL
Abstract
Liquid crystals have drawn interest in the past decade due to their ability to trap colloidal objects in topological defects and direct their assembly into specific patterns. Recently, R. Preusse, et. al. demonstrated the ability to assemble these defects into pre-defined patterns based on surface topography. Here, we expand on this work, dispersing gold nanoparticles into smectic liquid crystal and observing the structures formed. We demonstrate the ability to trap and spontaneously assemble these gold nanoparticles into the defect lines formed by the surface topography. In this way, we show that, by engineering precise surface topographies, we can direct the assembly of nanoparticles into complex structures using liquid crystals.
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Presenters
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Mackenzie O'Keefe
University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Authors
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Mackenzie O'Keefe
University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts, Boston
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Jane Bernadette Denise Garcia
University of California Merced, University of California, Merced
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Daniel A Beller
University of California, Merced, University of California Merced, Department of Physics, University of California, Merced
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Mohamed Amine Gharbi
University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts