20.500.12556/DKUM-91264 Nano and micro-structural complexity of nematic liquid crystal configurations Of our interest are frustration-driven pattern generating mechanisms in systems which in bulk equilibrium display spatially homogeneous long-range orientational order in absence of perturbations. As testbed material, we select thermotropic nematic liquid crystals. In bulk, they exhibit weakly discontinuous order-disorder phase transformation on varying temperature where the ordered nematic phase features spatially uniform axial order along an arbitrary symmetry breaking direction. However, due to continuous symmetry breaking (CSB) the established order is extremely susceptible to various perturbations which are in real systems in general always present. We theoretically illustrate how diverse complex patterns could be excited. Particularly intriguing configurations could appear if topological defects are present that could be generated via CSB. Our analysis is based on a relatively simple Lebwohl-Lasher-type model in which we could get analytical insight into phenomena of our interest. Using it we illustrate history dependent early stage isotropic-nematic phase evolution and final patterns in presence of "impurities" (e.g., nanoparticles). We show how characteristic effective interaction characteristics predict qualitatively different emerging patterns. Our analysis is based on CSB which is ubiquitous in nature. Consequently, demonstrated mechanisms are expected to manifest also in other condensed matter systems whose ordered phase is formed via CSB. We illustrate how kinetics and impurities could impact key structural properties of the systems of our interest. continuous symmetry breaking patterns topological defects nematic liquid crystals kontinuirano lomljenje simetrije vzorci topološke napake tekoči kristali true false true Elsevier Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Znanstveno delo 2024-12-05 12:15:20 2024-12-05 12:23:56 2024-12-06 03:20:53 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 9 str. del A, št. članka 126275 Letn. 415 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2024-08-02 2024-10-14 2024-10-19 532.783 217792259 10.1016/j.molliq.2024.126275 0167-7322 RAZ_Jelen_Andreja_2024.pdf RAZ_Jelen_Andreja_2024.pdf 1 309BA3DD10619DC7D861E94D3B06CCA5 59922b44aaa3e8bafcda49724878843cba2a32018da51cec0c563adc6adca6c1 48ac2e41-b2fb-11ef-9aff-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=187127 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2024.126275 1 389e56ca-b2fa-11ef-9aff-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=187124 Fakulteta za naravoslovje in matematiko 0 0 0