Liquid crystal torons in Poiseuille-like flows

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of the structure of liquid crystal (LC) torons, topologically protected distortions of the LC director field, under material flows are rare but essential in microfluidic applications. Here, we show that torons adopt a steady-state configuration at low flow velocity before disintegrating at higher velocities, in line with experimental results. Furthermore, we show that under partial slip conditions at the boundaries, the flow induces a reversible elongation of the torons, also consistent with the experimental observations. These results are in contrast with previous simulation results for 2D skyrmions under similar flow conditions, highlighting the need for a 3D description of this LC soliton in relation to its coupling to the material flow. These findings pave the way for future studies of other topological solitons, like hopfions and heliknotons, in flowing soft matter systems.