Nonequilibrium Dynamics of a Magnetic Nanocapsule in a Nematic Liquid Crystal

• Published in: Materials Vol. 14; no. 11; p. 2886
• Main Authors: Armendáriz, José, Híjar, Humberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 27.05.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Algorithms; Collision dynamics; Equilibrium; Investigations; Liquid crystals; Magnetic fields; Molecular dynamics; multiscale simulation methods; nematic colloids; Nematic crystals; Point defects; rotational Brownian motion; Saturn rings; Solvents; Symmetry; topological defects; Topology
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14112886

Colloidal particles in nematic liquid crystals show a beautiful variety of complex phenomena with promising applications. Their dynamical behaviour is determined by topology and interactions with the liquid crystal and external fields. Here, a nematic magnetic nanocapsule reoriented periodically by time-varying magnetic fields is studied using numerical simulations. The approach combines Molecular Dynamics to resolve solute–solvent interactions and Nematic Multiparticle Collision Dynamics to incorporate nematohydrodynamic fields and fluctuations. A Saturn ring defect resulting from homeotropic anchoring conditions surrounds the capsule and rotates together with it. Magnetically induced rotations of the capsule can produce transformations of this topological defect, which changes from a disclination curve to a defect structure extending over the surface of the capsule. Transformations occur for large magnetic fields. At moderate fields, elastic torques prevent changes of the topological defect by tilting the capsule out from the rotation plane of the magnetic field.