Optical Textures and Orientational Structures in Cholesteric Droplets with Conical Boundary Conditions

Abstract

Cholesteric droplets dispersed in polymer with conical boundary conditions have been studied. The director configurations are identified by the polarising microscopy technique. The axisymmetric twisted axial-bipolar configuration with the surface circular defect at the droplet’s equator is formed at the relative chirality parameter N 0 ≤ 2.9 . The intermediate director configuration with the deformed circular defect is realised at 2.9 < N 0 < 3.95 , and the layer-like structure with the twisted surface defect loop is observed at N 0 ≥ 3.95 . The cholesteric layers in the layer-like structure are slightly distorted although the cholesteric helix is untwisted.