Liquid crystals in random porous media: Disorder is stronger in low--density aerosils

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the disorder strength in liquid crystals within random porous media varies with media density, revealing that lower densities can enhance disorder and disrupt long-range order.

Contribution

It demonstrates that decreasing porous media density increases effective disorder strength and can destroy long-range order in liquid crystals.

Findings

Disorder strength increases as porous media density decreases.

Lower density media can destroy long-range order in liquid crystals.

Disorder effects are stronger in low-density aerosil media.

Abstract

The nature of glass phases of liquid crystals in random porous media depends on the effective disorder strength. We study how the disorder strength depends on the density of the porous media and demonstrate that it can increase as the density decreases. We also show that the interaction of the liquid crystal with random porous media can destroy long--range order inside the pores.