Abstract |
We design a nematic collider for controlled out-of-equilibrium anisotropic aggregation of spherical colloidal particles. The nematic surrounding imparts dipolar interactions among the spheres. A bidirectional backflow of the nematic liquid crystal in a periodic electric field forces the spheres to collide with each other. The inelastic collisions are of two types, head to tail and head to head. Head-to-tail collisions of dipoles result in longitudinal aggregation while head-to-head collisions promote aggregation in the transversal direction. The frequency of head-to-head collisions is set by the impact parameter that controls the resulting shape of aggregates, their anisotropy, and fractal dimension.
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Recommended Citation |
Pishnyak, Oleg P.; Shiyanovskii, Sergij V.; Lavrentovich, Oleg (2011). Inelastic Collisions and Anisotropic Aggregation of Particles in a Nematic Collider Driven by Backflow. Physical Review Letters 106(4) doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.047801. Retrieved from https://oaks.kent.edu/cpippubs/214
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Copyright 2011 American Physical Society. Available on publisher's site at http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.047801.