Phase Transitions in Colloidal Suspensions of Disks

非技术摘要：尽管圆盘具有丰富的天然资源和广泛的工业应用，如红细胞和粘土，但与球体和棒相比，它们的研究最少。这个凝聚态物理项目将利用独特的方法、液晶乳剂的形状变换和层状无机晶体的剥离来建立期待已久的微盘模型。微型磁盘将以前所未有的尺寸和形状的均匀性，以及在尺寸、形状、尺寸多分散和宽高比控制方面前所未有的灵活性批量生产。鉴于圆盘材料独特的流动特性和应用，我们将从实验和理论上研究圆盘状液晶相变与圆盘间相互作用、圆盘宽高比和多分散性的关系。盘状分子和胶体的可控组织将影响制药、医药、炼油、化工、太阳能、纳米复合工程和光子学等行业。胶体盘状将有助于释放复杂流体作为原子盘状液晶模型和宏观世界有形元素的教育力量。该项目将使用可视化和多媒体工具来培训毕业生，为本科生构建教育模块，并吸引k-12学生参与科学研究。它还将在世界各地建立合作关系，以增强其研究和教育项目的全球影响力。技术摘要：本凝聚态物理项目将采用独特的方法（液晶乳剂的形状变换和层状无机晶体的剥离）批量生产尺寸和形状空前均匀的微磁盘，以及尺寸、形状、尺寸多分散性和宽高比控制方面空前灵活的微磁盘。本文将实验研究盘状液晶从各向同性或类液体到取向有序或向列相（I-N）、向列相到晶体相（N-C）、向列相到有序层状或近晶相（N-S）的相变。向列到近晶跃迁是统计物理中尚未解决的主要问题之一。理论将构建和实验测试关于相变依赖于磁盘间相互作用（屏蔽静电排斥，耗尽吸引），纵横比和多分散性。盘状分子和胶体的可控组织将影响制药、医药、炼油、化工、太阳能、纳米复合工程和光子学等行业。胶体盘状将有助于释放复杂流体作为原子盘状液晶模型和宏观世界有形元素的教育力量。该项目将使用可视化和多媒体工具来培训毕业生，为本科生构建教育模块，并吸引K-12学生参与科学研究。它还将在世界各地建立合作关系，以增强其研究和教育项目的全球影响力。

Non-Technical Abstract: Despite their natural abundance and wide industrial applications, such as red blood cells and clay, disks are least studied compared to spheres and rods. This condensed matter physics project will establish the long waited model micro-disks using unique methodology, shape transformation of liquid crystal emulsions and exfoliation of layered inorganic crystals. Micro-disks will be mass-produced with unprecedented uniformity in size and shape, and unprecedented flexibility in the control of size, shape, size-polydispersity and aspect ratio. Underlining the unique flow characteristics and applications of disk materials, the discotic liquid crystal phase transitions will be investigated experimentally and theoretically regarding their dependence on inter-disk interactions, disk aspect ratio and polydispersity. The achievement of controlled organization of discotic molecules and colloids will impact industries such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, oil refining, chemical process, solar energy, nano-composite engineering and photonics. Colloidal discotics will help to unleash the educational power of complex fluids as models of atomic discotic liquid crystals and tangible elements of the macroscopic world. This project will use visualization and multimedia tools to train graduates, to build educational modules for undergraduates, and to attract k-12 students into scientific research. It will also establish collaborations around the world to enhance the global impact of its research and education program. Technical Abstract: This condensed matter physics project will use unique methodology (shape transformation of liquid crystal emulsions and exfoliation of layered inorganic crystals) to mass-produce micro-disks with unprecedented uniformity in size and shape, and unprecedented flexibility in the control of size, shape, size-polydispersity and aspect ratio. The discotic liquid crystal phase transitions isotropic or liquid-like to orientationally order or nematic (I-N), nematic to crystal (N-C), and nematic to ordered layer-like or smectic (N-S) will be investigated experimentally. The nematic-to-smectic (N-S) transition is one of the main unsolved problems in statistical physics. Theory will be constructed and experimentally tested regarding the dependence of phase transitions on inter-disk interactions (screened electrostatic repulsion, depletion attraction), aspect ratio and polydispersity. The achievement of controlled organization of discotic molecules and colloids will impact industries such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, oil refining, chemical process, solar energy, nano-composite engineering and photonics. Colloidal discotics will help to unleash the educational power of complex fluids as models of atomic discotic liquid crystals and tangible elements of the macroscopic world. This project will use visualization and multimedia tools to train graduates, to build educational modules for undergraduates, and to attract K-12 students into scientific research. It will also establish collaborations around the world to enhance the global impact of its research and education program.