Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method
The huge dielectric constant of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (FNLCs) seems to bring about a difficulty of molecular alignment control in exchange for a potential device application. To obtain a satisfactory level of uniform molecular alignment, it is essential to understand how the molecule...
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/157 |
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| author | Sakunosuke Abe Yosei Shibata Munehiro Kimura Tadashi Akahane |
| author_facet | Sakunosuke Abe Yosei Shibata Munehiro Kimura Tadashi Akahane |
| author_sort | Sakunosuke Abe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The huge dielectric constant of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (FNLCs) seems to bring about a difficulty of molecular alignment control in exchange for a potential device application. To obtain a satisfactory level of uniform molecular alignment, it is essential to understand how the molecules near the alignment surface are anchored. In this study, bulk molecular alignment with an anti-parallel rubbing manner, which has not yet been investigated extensively, is explained using a conventional torque balance model introducing a polar anchoring function, and it is shown that the disappearance of the bulk twist alignment with decreasing cell thickness can be explained self-consistently. To validate this estimation for a room-temperature FNLC substance, the Brewster angle reflection method was attempted to confirm the surface director’s deviation from the rubbing direction caused by the polar surface anchoring. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2229aa3da78146fbbba9db2b27e339e6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:36:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-2229aa3da78146fbbba9db2b27e339e62024-02-23T15:13:13ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522024-01-0114215710.3390/cryst14020157Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection MethodSakunosuke Abe0Yosei Shibata1Munehiro Kimura2Tadashi Akahane3Graduate School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka 940-2188, JapanGraduate School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka 940-2188, JapanGraduate School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka 940-2188, JapanGraduate School of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka 940-2188, JapanThe huge dielectric constant of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (FNLCs) seems to bring about a difficulty of molecular alignment control in exchange for a potential device application. To obtain a satisfactory level of uniform molecular alignment, it is essential to understand how the molecules near the alignment surface are anchored. In this study, bulk molecular alignment with an anti-parallel rubbing manner, which has not yet been investigated extensively, is explained using a conventional torque balance model introducing a polar anchoring function, and it is shown that the disappearance of the bulk twist alignment with decreasing cell thickness can be explained self-consistently. To validate this estimation for a room-temperature FNLC substance, the Brewster angle reflection method was attempted to confirm the surface director’s deviation from the rubbing direction caused by the polar surface anchoring.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/157ferroelectric nematic liquid crystalsurface polar anchoringelastic theoryrubbingBrewster angle reflection methodpolarization optical microscope |
| spellingShingle | Sakunosuke Abe Yosei Shibata Munehiro Kimura Tadashi Akahane Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method Crystals ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal surface polar anchoring elastic theory rubbing Brewster angle reflection method polarization optical microscope |
| title | Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method |
| title_full | Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method |
| title_fullStr | Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method |
| title_short | Self-Consistent Explanation of the Untwist Alignment of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals with Decreasing Cell Thickness and Deviation of the Surface Easy Axis Experimented upon Using the Brewster Angle Reflection Method |
| title_sort | self consistent explanation of the untwist alignment of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals with decreasing cell thickness and deviation of the surface easy axis experimented upon using the brewster angle reflection method |
| topic | ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal surface polar anchoring elastic theory rubbing Brewster angle reflection method polarization optical microscope |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/14/2/157 |
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