{"id":{"repo_id":"strathclyde","oai_identifier":"oai:strathclyde:vt150j335"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/strathclyde/oai:strathclyde:vt150j335","repository":{"repo_id":"strathclyde","name":"University of Strathclyde","base_url":"https://stax.strath.ac.uk/catalog/oai"},"display":{"title":"Mathematical modelling of active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions","abstract":"This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions.","abstract_html":"This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Walton, Joshua"],"institution":"University of Strathclyde","degree_name":"phd","degree_level":"doctoral-pg","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["McKay, Geoff","Mottram, Nigel"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020","date_published":"2020","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:53:12Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.48730/s4zy-fz16"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.48730/s4zy-fz16","href":"https://doi.org/10.48730/s4zy-fz16","code":true}]},{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["T15520"],"render_values":[{"text":"T15520","href":null,"code":true}]},{"key":"dc:creator.authoridentifier","label":"Author Identifier","values":["201575501"],"render_values":[{"text":"201575501","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://stax.strath.ac.uk/concern/theses/vt150j335","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["McKay, Geoff","Mottram, Nigel"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Walton, Joshua"]},{"key":"dc:creator.authoridentifier","label":"Author Identifier","values":["201575501"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2020"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Mathematics and Statistics"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Strathclyde"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["doctoral-pg"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["phd"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["T15520"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.48730/s4zy-fz16"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://stax.strath.ac.uk/concern/theses/vt150j335"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Mathematical modelling of active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["McKay, Geoff","Mottram, Nigel"],"dc:creator":["Walton, Joshua"],"dc:creator.authoridentifier":["201575501"],"dc:date":["2020"],"dc:date.issued":["2020"],"dc:description":["This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis focusses on the application of continuum theories and modelling techniques of liquid crystalline fluids to the area of anisotropy and self-organisation derived from active agents. The research involves a continuum description of anisotropic active fluids, using adapted forms of continuum hydrodynamic theories of liquid crystals.;We first consider the director structures of inactive nematic liquid crystals confined in rectangular regions. We use a mixture of analytical and numerical calculations to examine the energies of non-trivial nematic equilibria which exchange stabilities with constant equilibria at critical anchoring strengths. For the remainder of the thesis, we consider active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions.;We first use an adapted Ericksen-Leslie theory to investigate spontaneous flow transitions of active nematics, with the liquid crystal confined in a one-dimensional shallow channel. We examine how internally generated flows induced by activity are affected by externally induced flows due to, pressure gradients and external orienting fields. We then investigate a shallow channel of active nematic in terms of an adapted Q-tensor theory for uniaxial nematic liquid crystals.;Such a model allows for an investigation into the effects of variable ordering caused by changes in the temperature. Finally, we investigate active nematics confined in two-dimensional regions. We first consider wedge geometries containing an active nematic with a singularity at the wedge corner, deriving analytic solutions of a simplified version of the Ericksen-Leslie equations. We then employ numerical calculations to find steady solutions of the full non-linear Ericksen-Leslie equations for active nematics confined in rectangular regions."],"dc:identifier":["T15520"],"dc:identifier.doi":["10.48730/s4zy-fz16"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://stax.strath.ac.uk/concern/theses/vt150j335"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Mathematics and Statistics"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Strathclyde"],"dc:title":["Mathematical modelling of active nematic liquid crystals in confined regions"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["doctoral-pg"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["phd"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:53:12Z"}