On the dispersion of latex particles in a nematic solution. I. Experimental evidence and a simple model

Latex polyballs are suspended in an isotropic micellar solution which exhibits a nematic phase at low temperatures. At the transition, we observe that the particles are either retained or expelled from the structured phase depending on their size. A mean field theory with two coupled order parameters is proposed to account for this behavior at the transition. The experimental and theoretical phase diagrams are in qualitative agreement.