Optical patterning of magnetic domains and defects in ferromagnetic liquid crystal colloids

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how optical techniques can be used to pattern magnetic domains and defects in ferromagnetic liquid crystal colloids, enabling control over their magnetic response and revealing unique defect structures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel optical patterning method for ferromagnetic liquid crystal colloids and uncovers their distinct defect structures compared to traditional nematics and ferromagnets.

Findings

Optical patterning can modify magnetic domain structures.

Defects in these colloids differ from those in non-polar nematics and ferromagnets.

The method allows control over the colloids' magnetic response.

Abstract

A promising approach in designing composite materials with unusual physical behavior combines solid nanostructures and orientationally ordered soft matter at the mesoscale. Such composites not only inherit properties of their constituents but also can exhibit emergent behavior, such as ferromagnetic ordering of colloidal metal nanoparticles forming mesoscopic magnetization domains when dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal. Here we demonstrate the optical patterning of domain structures and topological defects in such ferromagnetic liquid crystal colloids, which allows for altering their response to magnetic fields. Our findings reveal the nature of the defects in this soft matter system which is different as compared to non-polar nematics and ferromagnets alike.