Competing Alignments of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Square Patterned Substrates

A theoretical analysis is presented of a nematic liquid crystal confined between substrates pat- terned with squares that promote vertical and planar alignment. Two approaches are used to eluci- date the behavior across a wide range of length scales: Monte Carlo simulation of hard particles and Fran...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Anquetil-Deck, Candy, Cleaver, Douglas J, Atherton, Timothy James
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 06.07.2012
Subjects
Alignment
Anchoring
Computer simulation
Liquid crystals
Monte Carlo simulation
Nematic crystals
Physics - Soft Condensed Matter
Square wells
Substrates
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Summary:A theoretical analysis is presented of a nematic liquid crystal confined between substrates pat- terned with squares that promote vertical and planar alignment. Two approaches are used to eluci- date the behavior across a wide range of length scales: Monte Carlo simulation of hard particles and Frank-Oseen continuum theory. Both approaches predict bistable degenerate azimuthal alignment in the bulk along the edges of the squares; the continuum calculation additionally reveals the possi- bility of an anchoring transition to diagonal alignment if the polar anchoring energy associated with the pattern is sufficiently weak. Unlike the striped systems previously analyzed, the Monte Carlo simulations suggest that there is no "bridging" transition for sufficiently thin cells. The extent to which these geometrically patterned systems resemble topographically patterned substrates, such as square wells, is also discussed.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1207.1731