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These defects can be used to create original nanoparticle assemblies allowing for a controlled modification of their optical properties [1]. However, to be able to use these new nanoparticles assemblies in the future we need to deeply understand how they interact with the liquid crystal defects.

In our group at INSP, we pointed out how to create a thin LC film with a large array of oriented linear topological defects [2]. Our recent analysis of Soleil synchrotron data has led to the determination of their nature and structure at an unprecedented resolution. To study the modification of the defect structure in presence of nanoparticles, we will perform nano-diffraction experiments at ESRF synchrotron, allowing to reveal the modifications of the defect structure in presence of nanoparticles at the single defect structure. This experiment is permitted thanks to the very recent upgrade of the synchrotron ESRF that has transformed it in the best worldwide synchrotron for hard X-rays. The foreseen experiments is a challenging experiments but it may lead to the internal structural variation of the liquid crystal defects in presence of nanoparticle for the first time thanks to its unprecedented spatial resolution.

[1] B. Rozic et al., ACS Nano 11 (2017) 6728; S.-P do et al., Nano Letters 20 (2020) 1598 ; S-P. Do, Frontiers 7 (2020) 234

[2] D. Coursault et al., Soft Matter 12 (2016) 629