Defect structures and torque on an elongated colloidal particle immersed in a liquid crystal host

Combining molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation we study defect structures around an elongated colloidal particle embedded in a nematic liquid crystal host. By studying nematic ordering near the particle and the disclination core region we are able to examine the defect core structure and the difference between two simulation techniques. In addition, we also study the torque on a particle tilted with respect to the director, and modification of this torque when the particle is close to the cell wall

Hidden photoalignment of liquid crystals in the isotropic phase

We found the effect of a hidden photoalignment of a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal (LC) on a nonphotosensitive polymer surface after polarized irradiation of the cell in the isotropic phase. We observed that irradiation resulted in a uniform planar orientation of the LC after cooling to the mesophase. The direction of a light-induced easy axis on the polymer can he either parallel or perpendicular to the polarization of the incident light, depending on the light intensity. We attribute this behavior to two mechanisms of photoalignment: light-induced adsorption of dye molecules on the substrate, and anisotropic desorption in a previously adsorbed dye layer. The experimental results on photoalignment of a LC on a thin dye film confirm our model