TY - JOUR
TI - Different modulated structures of topological defects stabilized by adaptive targeting nanoparticles
AU - Cordoyiannis, G.
AU - Rao Jampani, V.S.
AU - Kralj, S.
AU - Dhara, S.
AU - Tzitzios, V.
AU - Basina, G.
AU - Nounesis, G.
AU - Kutnjak, Z.
AU - Pati Tripathi, C.S.
AU - Losada-Pérez, P.
AU - Jesenek, D.
AU - Glorieux, C.
AU - Muševič, I.
AU - Zidanšek, A.
AU - Ameinitsch, H.
AU - Thoen, J.
JO - Soft Matter
PY - 2013
VL - 9
TODO - 15
SP - 3956-3964
PB - Royal Society of Chemistry
SN - 1744-683X, 1744-6848
TODO - 10.1039/c3sm27644a
TODO - Grain boundaries;  Large scale systems;  Liquid crystals;  Screw dislocations;  Screws;  Superconducting materials;  Superconductivity;  Topology, Chiral liquid crystals;  Condensed matter system;  Controlled assembly;  Direct interactions;  Disclination lines;  Modulated structures;  Twist-grain boundaries;  Type II superconductors, Nanoparticles
TODO - It is demonstrated that interactions between nanoparticles and topological defects induce a twist-grain boundary phase in a chiral liquid crystal. The occurrence of this phase, the analogue of the Shubnikov phase in type-II superconductors, is driven by direct interactions between surface-functionalized CdSe quantum dots and screw dislocations. It is shown that, within an adaptive-defect-core-targeting mechanism, nanoparticles of appropriate size and functionalization adapt to qualitatively different cores of topological defects such as disclination lines and screw dislocations. This mechanism enables the effective reduction of the energetically costly, singular defect core volume, while the surrounding phase ordering remains relatively weakly affected. The findings suggest new pathways towards the controlled assembly of superstructures in diverse, symmetry-broken, condensed-matter systems, ranging from nanoparticle-decorated liquid crystals to superconductors. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013.
ER -