Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach
We revisit the wetting of nematic liquid crystals in contact with crenellated substrates, studied previously using the Landau−de Gennes formalism. However, due to computational limitations, the characteristic length scales of the substrate relief considered in that study limited to less th...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/8/430 |
| _version_ | 1818037183323308032 |
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| author | Óscar A. Rojas-Gómez Margarida M. Telo da Gama José M. Romero-Enrique |
| author_facet | Óscar A. Rojas-Gómez Margarida M. Telo da Gama José M. Romero-Enrique |
| author_sort | Óscar A. Rojas-Gómez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We revisit the wetting of nematic liquid crystals in contact with crenellated substrates, studied previously using the Landau−de Gennes formalism. However, due to computational limitations, the characteristic length scales of the substrate relief considered in that study limited to less than 100 nematic correlation lengths. The current work uses an extended Frank−Oseen formalism, which includes not only the free-energy contribution due to the elastic deformations but also the surface tension contributions and, if disclinations or other orientational field singularities are present, their core contributions. Within this framework, which was successfully applied to the anchoring transitions of a nematic liquid crystal in contact with structured substrates, we extended the study to much larger length scales including the macroscopic scale. In particular, we analyzed the interfacial states and the transitions between them at the nematic−isotropic coexistence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:22:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-638140dbbcd94687a9ce6297b6ff7ce5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:22:47Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-638140dbbcd94687a9ce6297b6ff7ce52022-12-22T01:57:47ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522019-08-019843010.3390/cryst9080430cryst9080430Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen ApproachÓscar A. Rojas-Gómez0Margarida M. Telo da Gama1José M. Romero-Enrique2Departamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Área de Física Teórica, Facultad de Física, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida de Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012 Sevilla, SpainCentro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, PortugalDepartamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Área de Física Teórica, Facultad de Física, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida de Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012 Sevilla, SpainWe revisit the wetting of nematic liquid crystals in contact with crenellated substrates, studied previously using the Landau−de Gennes formalism. However, due to computational limitations, the characteristic length scales of the substrate relief considered in that study limited to less than 100 nematic correlation lengths. The current work uses an extended Frank−Oseen formalism, which includes not only the free-energy contribution due to the elastic deformations but also the surface tension contributions and, if disclinations or other orientational field singularities are present, their core contributions. Within this framework, which was successfully applied to the anchoring transitions of a nematic liquid crystal in contact with structured substrates, we extended the study to much larger length scales including the macroscopic scale. In particular, we analyzed the interfacial states and the transitions between them at the nematic−isotropic coexistence.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/8/430nematic liquid crystalsFrank–Oseen elasticitywetting |
| spellingShingle | Óscar A. Rojas-Gómez Margarida M. Telo da Gama José M. Romero-Enrique Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach Crystals nematic liquid crystals Frank–Oseen elasticity wetting |
| title | Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach |
| title_full | Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach |
| title_fullStr | Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach |
| title_short | Wetting of Nematic Liquid Crystals on Crenellated Substrates: A Frank–Oseen Approach |
| title_sort | wetting of nematic liquid crystals on crenellated substrates a frank oseen approach |
| topic | nematic liquid crystals Frank–Oseen elasticity wetting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/9/8/430 |
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