Morphological transitions in liquid crystal nanodroplets

Abstract

A continuum theory is used to study ordering in liquid crystal nanodroplets. The free energy functional that describes the system is minimized using an Euler–Lagrange approach and an unsymmetric radial basis function method. The equilibrium morphology in nanodroplets is shown to represent a delicate balance between bulk and surface contributions; when the radius of the droplet reaches a critical value, that balance is altered and the droplet undergoes a transition. By controlling the anchoring conditions at the droplet's surface, one can control the radius where the transition occurs and even prepare metastable droplets where small perturbations can trigger a morphological transition. The results of the theory are shown to be consistent with recent experimental observations on monodisperse nematic liquid crystal nanodroplets.