Here we show that rosette shaped gel domains, with heterogeneous orientational texture and a central topological defect, after early stage growth, undergo slow relaxation. (science.institut-curie.org)
Growth dynamics can lead to noncircular domains with a heterogeneous orientational texture. (science.institut-curie.org)
Moreover and most importantly, we showed that upon subtle changes of either the pH of the solution or of the electrical charge of the substrate, it is possible to reversibly switch the assembly process on and off as well as to induce a transformation from a one specific spatial / orientational arrangement to another. (sciencedaily.com)