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Theory and Simulation of Texture Transformations in Chiral Systems: Applications to Biological Fibrous Composites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2011

Gino De Luca  and
Alejandro D. Rey
Gino De Luca
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical EngineeringMcGill University, 3610 University Street Montreal, Quebec Canada H3A 2B2
Alejandro D. Rey
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical EngineeringMcGill University, 3610 University Street Montreal, Quebec Canada H3A 2B2
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Abstract

Numerous studies [1-3] have shown that chiral biological structures share common properties with liquids crystals, in particular a tendency to assemble in three-dimensional lattices very similar to that of chiral nematics. Biological fibrous composites are usually found in planar (film) and cylindrical (fibber) twist geometries. In this work, the formation process of the planar twist architecture is numerically investigated using a mesoscopic model based on the Landau-de Gennes theory of chiral nematic liquid crystals. The simulations and visualizations of the computed textures provide new information on some of the principles that govern the formation of chiral biological structures. It is found that a defect-free planar twist architecture arises from a chiral front propagation process with a fully relaxed wake.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 709: Symposium CC – Advances in Liquid Crystalline Materials and Technologies , 2001 , CC5.23.1
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

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