Nematic Liquid Crystal Director Research Articles

Investigation of Nematic Liquid Crystals Doped with Spherical Multiferroic Nanoparticles in the Presence of a Magnetic Field

Recently, multiferroic nanoparticles (MFNPs) have attracted significant attention as dopant in the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) medium. Here, behavior of the NLC molecules and MFNPs in the presence of a magnetic field is theoretically investigated in the framework of continuum theory, based on our knowledge. The electric field of the MFNPs is taken into account in the calculations. Freedericksz transition (FT) threshold field in the presence of spherical nanoparticles is determined. Dependence of the FT threshold to the diameter and volume fraction of the nanoparticles was studied. Also, the NLC director and nanoparticle reorientations for the magnetic field larger than the FT threshold field are studied. It was shown that the FT threshold of NLC is decreased by doping of spherical MFNPs. Migration of the nanoparticles to the central layers of the cell (segregation effect) is investigated.

Nematic liquid crystal director structures in rectangular regions.

We consider a shallow rectangular well of nematic liquid crystal subject to weak anchoring on the sides of the well. By considering weak anchoring instead of infinitely strong anchoring, we are able to analyze nematic equilibria in the well without the need to exclude point defects at the corners, as done in previous work in the area. For relatively weak anchoring, we are able to derive analytic expressions for the director alignment angle in terms of an infinite series of modes, involving roots of a transcendental equation. The analytic forms of the director configuration are then used to calculate critical anchoring strengths at which uniform and distorted director structures exchange stability. We also consider the asymptotic behavior of the director structure and energy for very strong anchoring. We show that in both cases-for the transitions from uniform to distorted states and the limit of infinitely strong anchoring-the approximate analytic expansions agree very well with corresponding numerical calculations of the full model.

Modeling Static Electric Field Effect on Nematic Liquid Crystal Director Orientation in Side-Electrode Cell

A two-dimensional model of Fredericks effect was used for the investigation of the static electric field influence on nematic liquid crystal director orientation in the side-electrode cell. The solutions of the equations describing the model were obtained by finite-difference methods. Fredericks transition threshold for the central part of the cell, as well as dependencies of the distribution of the director orientation patterns on the electric field and location, were obtained. The numerical results are found to agree qualitatively with the experiment. Further investigations are needed to elucidate completely the Fredericks effect.

柱状腔向列相液晶指向矢结构的Monte Carlo模拟

柱状腔向列相液晶指向矢结构的Monte Carlo模拟

Generalised technique for calculation of plane director profiles in bounded nematic liquid crystals

ABSTRACTWe propose an improved conformal mapping technique for analytical calculation of two-dimensional profiles of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) director in a cell with a simply connected cross-sectional region. We consider the case of the strong anchoring and the piecewise constant director pretilt on the piecewise smooth curve which bounds the region. Obtained expressions for the director profile explicitly depend on the conformal mapping which maps the region onto the upper half plane of a complex plane. An advantage of our method in comparison with the standard conformal mapping technique is that it does not require the knowledge of the inverse mapping and the calculation of the integral in the Poisson formula. Proposed technique allows to take into account topological defects in the bulk of the NLC on the symmetry axis of the region. As an example of how the method can be used, we find an analytical expression for the director profile in a horizontal cylindrical groove partly filled with the NLC. We consider the case where a disclination line parallel to the axis of the groove occurs in the bulk of the NLC. The equilibrium position of the disclination line is found.

Oriyentatsiyna nestiykist' dyrektora v planarniy nematychniy komirtsi z kerovanymy mezhovymy umovamy v elektrychnomu poli

The planar-planar director reorientation in a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cell by an external static electric field has been studied. The gliding of the NLC director easy axis over the polymer substrate due to the interaction between the easy axis and the electric field is taken into account. The contribution of this interaction to the surface free energy of the system is assumed to be linear in the electric field, if the elastic fragments of substrate polymer molecules possess their own dipole moments. If the dipole moments of the elastic fragments of polymer molecules are induced by the electric field, the corresponding contribution is taken to be quadratic in the electric field. Depending on the character of the interaction between the easy axis and the electric field, the orientation instability of the director is shown to either have a threshold or not. In both cases, the dynamics of the director and the easy axis has been analyzed, by starting from the field switching-on time moment, during the transition of the system to a stationary state, and until the field is switched-off and the system returns to the initial homogeneous state.

Wave propagation and acoustic band gaps of two-dimensional liquid crystal/solid phononic crystals

The vast majority of acoustic wave propagation in phononic band studies has been usually carried out by scattering inclusions embedded in a viscoelastic medium, such as air or water. In this study, we present calculated band structure results for the two-dimensional square array geometry of a solid cylindrical scatterer surrounded by a liquid crystal (LC) matrix. Liquid crystals provide a unique combination of liquid-like and crystal-like properties as well as anisotropic properties. The purpose of using LC material is to take advantage of longitudinal acoustic waves propagating parallel (||) and perpendicular (⊥) to the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) director n. The compound used in this study was a room temperature NLC, called 5CB (4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl). The acoustic band structure of a two-dimensional phononic crystal containing a 5CB NLC and lithium tantalate was investigated by the plane wave expansion method. The theoretical results show that the solid/LC system can be tuned in a favorable configuration for adjusting or shifting acoustic band gaps.

Cholesterol-Based Grafted Polymer Brushes as Alignment Coating with Temperature-Tuned Anchoring for Nematic Liquid Crystals.

Novel alignment coating with temperature-tuned anchoring for nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) was successfully fabricated in three step process, involving polymerization of poly(cholesteryl methacrylate) (PChMa) from oligoproxide grafted to the glass surface premodified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Molecular composition, thickness, wettability of the PChMa coating and its alignment action for a NLC were examined with time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry, ellipsometry, contact angle measurements, polarization optical microscopy and commercially produced PolScope technique allowing for mapping of the optic axis and optical retardance within the microscope field view. We find that the PChMa coating provides a specific monotonous increase (decrease) in the tilt angle of the NLC director with respect to the substrates normal upon heating (cooling) referred to as anchoring tuning.

Single-interface Casimir torque

A different type of Casimir-type interaction is theoretically predicted: a single-interface torque at a junction of an anisotropic material and a vacuum or another material system. The torque acts to reorient the polarizable microscopic units of the involved materials near the interface, and thus to change the internal structure of the materials. The single-interface torque depends on the zero-point energy of the interface localized and extended modes. Our theory demonstrates that the single-interface torque is essential to understand the Casimir physics of material systems with anisotropic elements and may influence the orientation of the director of nematic liquid crystals.

Equilibrium configurations of director in a planar nematic cell with one spatially modulated surface

We study two-dimensional equilibrium configurations of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) director in a cell confined between two parallel surfaces: a planar surface and a spatially modulated one. The relief of the modulated surface is described by a smooth periodic sine-like function. The director easy axis orientation is homeotropic at one of the bounding surfaces and is planar at the other one. Strong NLC anchoring with both surfaces is assumed. We consider the case where disclination lines occur in the bulk of NLC strictly above local extrema of the modulated surface. These disclination lines run along the crests and troughs of the relief waves. In the approximation of planar director deformations we obtain analytical expressions describing a director distribution in the bulk of the cell. Equilibrium distances from disclination lines to the modulated surface are calculated and their dependences on the cell thickness and the period and depth of the surface relief are studied. It is shown that the distances from disclination lines to the modulated surface decrease as the depth of the relief increases.

Modelling of director equilibrium states in a nematic cell with relief surface

ABSTRACTWe study two-dimensional equilibrium configurations of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) director in a cell bounded by two parallel surfaces. One surface is planar and the other one is spatially modulated. The relief of the modulated surface is described by a smooth periodic sine-like function. The orientation of NLC director easy axis is assumed to be homeotropic at one cell surface and planar at the other one. The NLC director anchoring with cell surfaces is assumed to be strong. We consider the case where disclination lines occur in the bulk of NLC above the extrema of the modulated surface. These disclination lines run along the crests and troughs of the surface relief. If the orientation of director at both bounding surfaces is of the same type, then NLC director field is continuous. For both configurations mentioned above (with defects and without defects), we obtain analytical expressions for director distribution in the bulk of NLC in the approximation of planar director deformations. Equilibrium distances from disclination lines to the spatially modulated surface are calculated when the defects occur. The dependences of these equilibrium distances on the period and depth of surface relief and the cell thickness are investigated in detail.

Electric method for studying reorientation dynamics of the nematic liquid crystal director

A method has been proposed for studying the reorientation dynamics of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) director using the results of measurements of the electric response of an LC cell. The simulation of the time dependences of the current in an LC cell with a homogeneous orientation is carried out upon variation of the applied voltage, the initial tilt angle of the director, dielectric anisotropy, and the elasticity coefficient, as well as the dynamic viscosity, density, and ion mobility in the NLC. A comparison of the experimental and computational curves of the electric response for NLC 5CB shows their good agreement. The method makes it possible to monitor the steady-state current, the density, and the ion mobility in NLCs.

Characterization of one dimensional liquid crystal photonic crystal structure

In this paper, one-dimensional photonic crystal with periodic multilayers of dielectrics and central nematic liquid crystal (NLC) defect is presented and analyzed. The transmission and field distribution of the transverse magnetic (TM) mode through the suggested design are studied using finite element time domain method. The effect of the structure geometrical parameters on the transmission of the TM mode is investigated and analyzed. Further, the impacts of the rotation angle of the director of NLC and temperature are also studied. The numerical results show that the reported design can be used as an optical filter around a wavelength of 1300nm which is very important for communication applications. Additionally, the suggested design has high tunability due to the infiltration of the NLC material.

Effects of surface anchoring on the electric Frederiks transition in ferronematic systems

Abstract The effects of anchoring phenomenon on the electric Frederiks transition threshold field in a nematic liquid crystal doped with ferroelectric nanoparticles are discussed. The polarizability of these nanoparticles in combination with confinement effects cause the drastic effects on the ferronematic systems. This study is based on Frank free energy and Rapini–Papoular surface energy for ferronematic liquid crystal having finite anchoring condition. In the case of different anchoring boundary conditions, the Euler–Lagrange equation of the total free energy is numerically solved by using the finite difference method together with the relaxation method and Maxwell construction to select the physical solutions and therefore investigate the effects of different anchoring strengths on the Frederiks transition threshold field. Maxwell construction method is employed to select three periodic solutions for nematic liquid crystal director at the interfaces of a slab. In the interval from zero to half- π , there is only one solution for the director orientation. In this way, NLC director rotates toward the normal to the surface as the applied electric field increases at the walls. Our numerical results illustrate that above Frederiks transition and in the intermediate anchoring strength, nematic molecules illustrate the different orientation at slab boundaries. We also study the effects of different anchoring strengths, nanoparticle volume fractions and polarizations on the Frederiks transition threshold field. We report that decreasing in the nanoparticle polarization results in the saturation Frederiks threshold. However, this situation does not happen for the nanoparticles volume fraction.

Orientational optical torque in a nematic liquid crystal, caused by trans- and cis-isomers of low- and high-molecular compounds

The effect of light on the conformational composition of low- and high-molecular (fifth-generation dendrimer) azobenzene dyes in a nematic host is studied. The orientational optical response of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC), caused by the presence of these compounds in the nematic host, is measured. The contributions of isomers to the orientational optical torque affecting the NLC director are determined. The results obtained suggest that the increase in the optical orientation efficiency in NLCs when using high-molecular dopants instead of low-molecular ones is unrelated to the difference in their conformational composition in the light field, but is caused by deceleration of orientational motion of chromophores.

用偏光干涉法动态测量扭曲向列型液晶指向矢

用偏光干涉法动态测量扭曲向列型液晶指向矢

Field-induced stretching and dynamic reorientation of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube aggregates in nematic liquid crystals

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) exhibited distinct electrical stretching behavior in nematic liquid crystals (NLC) depending on nanotube surface state. We found that two different samples prepared by chemical functionalization (f-CNT) and physical grinding (g-CNT) revealed distinct field dependence from each other. The threshold stretching field was lower in the f-CNT aggregates than in g-CNT aggregates. This was attributed to polar functionality induced weakened van der Waals interaction in f-CNTs, which was confirmed in infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. Dynamic reorientation of f-CNTs was observed under polarized optical microscopy where f-CNTs were found to follow orientation of NLC director. Uniformly aligned f-CNTs also exhibited selective light absorption in sufficiently long transient field off-state which could find potential applications in memory and modulator devices as well as the versatile functional composites.

Light-controllable linear dichroism in nematics.

We report a method to obtain a light-controllable dichroism. The main effect is achieved using spiropyran-doped (SP-doped) nematic liquid crystal mixtures. SP molecules exhibit a high solubility in the liquid crystal host, which can vary between 1% and 4% in weight, without destroying the liquid crystalline phase. Due to their elongated shape, SP molecules are oriented along the nematic liquid crystal director. The obtained linear dichroism was measured to be 1.08 with a dichroic ratio of 7.12. Further, a two-direction linear dichroism was obtained by adding a dichroic dye to the mixture. The angle between the two dichroic axes was found to be 11°. Two-direction linear dichroism is also light controllable and can be switched back to one-direction dichroism.

Optical switch based on the electrically controlled liquid crystal interface.

The peculiarities of the linearly polarized light beam reflection at the interface within the bulk of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cell with different orientations of the director are analyzed. Two methods to create the interface are considered. Combination of the planar and homeotropic orientations of the NLC director is realized by means of a spatially structured electrode under the applied voltage. In-plane patterned azimuthal alignment of the NLC director is created by the patterned rubbing alignment technique. All possible orthogonal orientations of the LC director are considered; the configurations for realization of total internal reflection are determined. The revealed relationship between the propagation of optical beams in a liquid crystal material and polarization of laser radiation has enabled realization of the spatial separation for the orthogonally polarized light beams at the interface between two regions of NLC with different director orientations (domains). Owing to variations in the applied voltage and, hence, in the refractive index gradient, the light beam propagation directions may be controlled electrically.

Phase diagrams of orientational transitions in absorbing nematic liquid crystals

A theory of orientational transitions in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs), which employs the expansion of optical torques acting on the NLC director with respect to the rotation angle, has been developed for NLCs with additives of conformationally active compounds under the action of optical and low-frequency electric and magnetic fields. Phase diagrams of NLCs are constructed as a function of the intensity and polarization of the light field, the strength of low-frequency electric field, and a parameter that characterizes the feedback between the rotation of the NLC director and optical torque. Conditions for the occurrence of first- and second-order transitions are determined. The proposed theory agrees with available experimental data.