Curvature-controlled topological defects

Mesarec, Luka (author), Kurioz, Pavlo (author), Iglič, Aleš (author), Góźdź, Wojciech (author), Kralj, Samo (author)

Effectively, two-dimensional (2D) closed films exhibiting in-plane orientational ordering (ordered shells) might be instrumental for the realization of scaled crystals. In them, ordered shells are expected to play the role of atoms. Furthermore, topological defects (TDs) within them would determine their valence. Namely, bonding among shells within an isotropic liquid matrix could be established via appropriate nano-binders (i.e., linkers) which tend to be attached to the cores of TDs exploiting the defect core replacement mechanism. Consequently, by varying configurations of TDs one could nucleate growth of scaled crystals displaying different symmetries. For this purpose, it is of interest to develop a simple and robust mechanism via which one could control the position and number of TDs in such atoms. In this paper, we use a minimal mesoscopic model, where variational parameters are the 2D curvature tensor and the 2D orientational tensor order parameter. We demonstrate numerically the efficiency of the effective topological defect cancellation mechanism to predict positional assembling of TDs in ordered films characterized by spatially nonhomogeneous Gaussian curvature. Furthermore, we show how one could efficiently switch among qualitatively different structures by using a relative volume v of ordered shells, which represents a relatively simple naturally accessible control parameter.

• Language: English
• Keywords: topological defects, Gaussian curvature, self-assembling, crystal growth nucleation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 7, iss. 6, art. 153
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-131089
• UDC: 548/549
• ISSN on article: 2073-4352
• DOI: 10.3390/cryst7060153
• COBISS.SI-ID: 11753556
• Publication date in RUL: 22.09.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Crystals
• Shortened title: Crystals
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4352
• COBISS.SI-ID: 36677893

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.06.2017

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: topološki defekti, Gaussova ukrivljenost, samourejanje, tvorba in rast kristalov