Morphological transitions in liquid crystal nanodroplets

A continuum theory is used to study ordering in liquid crystal nanodroplets. The free energy functional that describes the system is minimized using an Euler-Lagrange approach and an unsymmetric radial basis function method. The equilibrium morphology in nanodroplets is shown to represent a delicate balance between bulk and surface contributions; when the radius of the droplet reaches a critical value, that balance is altered and the droplet undergoes a transition. By controlling the anchoring conditions at the droplet's surface, one can control the radius where the transition occurs and even prepare metastable droplets where small perturbations can trigger a morphological transition. The results of the theory are shown to be consistent with recent experimental observations on monodisperse nematic liquid crystal nanodroplets.