Confinement induced splay-to-bend transition of colloidal rods.
Phys Rev Lett 109:10 (2012) 108303
Authors:
Oliver J Dammone, Ioannis Zacharoudiou, Roel PA Dullens, Julia M Yeomans, MP Lettinga, Dirk GAL Aarts
Abstract:
We study the nematic phase of rodlike f d-virus particles confined to channels with wedge-structured walls. Using laser scanning confocal microscopy we observe a splay-to-bend transition at the single particle level as a function of the wedge opening angle. Lattice Boltzmann simulations reveal the underlying origin of the transition and its dependence on nematic elasticity and wedge geometry. Our combined work provides a simple method to estimate the splay-to-bend elasticity ratios of the virus and offers a way to control the position of defects through the confining boundary conditions.
