抄録
Liquid crystal colloids comprising spherical particles have been extensively studied, but less is known about colloids made up of non-spherical particles. They give rise to a richer set of defect states and so interact in a more complex manner. To better understand how individual anisotropic particles behave, we have investigated stable liquid crystal defect structures about rod-shaped inclusions by means of the Landau-de Gennes continuum theory. Of particular interest are cylindrical particles, which have been found to, in experiment, incline with respect to the background director. We explore this effect to ascertain the influence of a particle's shape and dimensions on its equilibrium orientation and inclination.
