Thermal Control of Concentric Topographies Patterned by Dynamic Electro‐Templated Generated Chiral Solitonic Structures | CU Experts

ABSTRACT; Topological solitons in chiral nematic liquid crystals offer an elegant route to program complex director fields and dynamic surface responses. However, controlling these structures with spatial precision and scalability remains a key challenge. Here, an electro‐templating strategy is introduced to control the relaxation of cholesteric finger loops, enabling the generation of discrete, concentric solitonic ring structures with programmable geometry. This process exploits the structural multistability stemming from the interplay between the tendency to twist at a rate of helical pitch and confinement, allowing for on‐demand formation of multi‐ring architectures governed by relaxation dynamics in response to pre‐designed voltage driving. Upon photopolymerization, the resulting polymer retains the topological configuration of the soliton and exhibits thermally induced, reversible surface modulation, forming castle‐like structures with a central pillar and tunable concentric walls. Supported by theoretical modeling, this approach offers a scalable platform for encoding highly resolved hierarchical topological features into soft materials, opening new opportunities for responsive coatings and adaptive optics.

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