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Forces in nematic liquid crystals: from nanoscale interfacial forces to long-range forces in nematic colloids

In this paper we give an overview of experiments that provided an insight into the nature of forces between surfaces and objects in a nematic liquid crystal. These forces, also called ‘structural forces’, are the consequence of the long-range orientational order and orientational elasticity of nematic liquid crystals. Owing to their fundamental as well as technological importance, forces between objects in liquid crystals have been a subject of growing interest during the last decade. Experimental observations and studies of structural forces are described from nanoscale interfacial forces, measured by an atomic force microscope, to the micro-scale forces between colloidal particles in nematics, studied by laser tweezers and optical video microscopy.