Extended Data Fig. 4: Temperature-dependent orientations and magnetic control of disks.
From: Thermally reconfigurable monoclinic nematic colloidal fluids
a–h, Upconversion-based luminescence confocal images (a–c, e–g) and corresponding numerical visualizations (d, h) of disk dispersions at ρ = 0.19 μm−3 with in-plane nm and ωc at T = 27.0 ± 0.1 °C (a), T = 28.0 ± 0.1 °C (b), T = 30.0 ± 0.1 °C (c), T = 31.0 ± 0.1 °C (e), T = 32.0 ± 0.1 °C (f) and T = 33.0 ± 0.1 °C (g), showing the temperature-dependent disk orientations in the presence of a magnetic field. With increasing T at a field of B = 100 mT applied along a normal to the sample, a domain with a magnetically induced unidirectional alignment of ωc (a–d) transforms into a polydomain state at higher temperatures owing to the random ±θe tilting directionality of ωc relative to nm. Image planes are depicted in grey in f–h. The orientations of nm, magnetic field and scale bars shown between a, b and e, f are the same for all confocal images presented. The disk surface charge is Z*e ≈ +80e.
