A novel form of nematic gel (N-gel) wherein bright flower-like domains (BFDs) rich in gelator fibres are embedded in a matrix of liquid crystal (LC) molecules has been reported. These gels which we denote as inverse N-gels are unlike typical N-gels in which the LC is encapsulated within an aggregated network of gelator molecules. The self-organization of the helical gelator fibres within the BFDs leads to the creation of localized toron-like structures that are topologically protected due to their skyrmion director profile. Optical and confocal microscopy have been used to deduce the LC director configuration, in order to understand possible intermolecular interactions that can lead to the formation of the twisted structures and the inverse N-gels.

中文翻译：

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反向向列凝胶中自组装的Toron样结构

据报道，向列型凝胶（N-gel）的一种新型形式，其中富含胶凝剂纤维的亮花状结构域（BFD）嵌入液晶（LC）分子的基质中。这些我们称为反向N凝胶的凝胶与典型的N凝胶不同，在典型的N凝胶中，LC被封装在胶凝剂分子的聚集网络内。BFD中螺旋形胶凝剂纤维的自组织导致了局部toron状结构的创建，这些结构由于其skyrmion导向器轮廓而受到拓扑保护。为了理解可能导致形成扭曲结构和反N-凝胶的分子间相互作用，已经使用光学和共聚焦显微镜来推导LC指向矢构型。