We propose a general formalism to characterize orientational frustration of smectic liquid
crystals in confinement by interpreting the emerging networks of grain boundaries as objects …

Mechanical stresses stemming from environmental factors are a key determinant of cellular
behavior and physiology. Yet, the role of self-induced biomechanical stresses in growing …

Gravity can affect colloidal suspensions since for micrometer-sized particles gravitational
and thermal energies can be comparable over vertical length scales of a few millimeters. In …

Classical dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) has become one of the central
modeling approaches in nonequilibrium soft matter physics. Recent years have seen the …

We report the controlled interfacial assembly and reconfiguration of rectangular prism
colloidal particles between microstructures of varying positional and orientational order …

Matter self-assembling into layers generates unique properties, including structures of
stacked surfaces, directed transport, and compact area maximization that can be highly …

Observing and characterizing the complex ordering phenomena of liquid crystals subjected
to external constraints constitutes an ongoing challenge for chemists and physicists alike. To …

Composed of microscopic layers that stack along one direction while maintaining fluid-like
positional disorder within layers, smectics are excellent systems for exploring topology …

The persistent dynamics in systems out of equilibrium, particularly those characterized by
annihilation and creation of topological defects, is known to involve complicated …

A two-dimensional or quasi-two-dimensional nematic liquid crystal refers to a surface-
confined system. When such a system is further confined by external line boundaries or …