  Spherical microparticles dispersed in nematic liquid crystals have been
extensively investigated in the past years. Here, we report experimental
studies on the elastic deformation, colloidal interaction and self-assembly of
hematite microcubes with homeotropic surface anchoring in a nematic liquid
crystal. We demonstrate that the colloidal interaction and self-assembly of
cubic colloids are orientation dependent. In a notable departure from the
conventional microspheres, the microcubes stabilise diverse structures, such as
bent chains, branches, kinks and closed-loops. The microcubes reorient under
rotating external magnetic field, thereby experiencing an elastic torque in the
medium, which allows us to measure the magnetic moment through competition
between elastic and magnetic torques. Our findings envisage that the faceted
magnetic colloids in liquid crystals are potential for developing new
functional magnetic materials with specific morphologies.
