Emulsions comprising isotropic fluid drops within a nematic host are of interest for applications ranging from biodetection to smart windows, which rely on changes of molecular alignment structures around the drops in response to chemical, thermal, electric, and other stimuli. We show that absorption or desorption of trace amounts of common surfactants can drive continuous transformations of elastic multipoles induced by the droplets within the uniformly aligned nematic host. Out-of-equilibrium dynamics of director structures emerge from a controlled self-assembly or desorption of different surfactants at the drop-nematic interfaces, with ensuing forward and reverse transformations between elastic dipoles, quadrupoles, octupoles, and hexadecapoles. We characterize intertransformations of droplet-induced surface and bulk defects, probe elastic pair interactions, and discuss emergent prospects for fundamental science and applications of the reconfigurable nematic emulsions.

包含向列基质内各向同性液滴的乳液对从生物检测到智能窗户的应用很感兴趣，这些应用依赖于液滴周围分子排列结构的变化，以响应化学、热、电和其他刺激。我们表明，微量普通表面活性剂的吸收或解吸可以驱动由均匀排列的向列主体内的液滴引起的弹性多极杆的连续转变。导向结构的失衡动力学源于不同表面活性剂在液滴-向列界面处的受控自组装或解吸，随之而来的是弹性偶极子、四极子、八极子和十六极子之间的正向和反向转换。我们表征了液滴诱导的表面和体缺陷的相互转化，