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Anomalous uniform domain in a twisted nematic cell constructed from micropatterned surfaces |
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| Authors: | T J Atherton J R Sambles J P Bramble J R Henderson S D Evans |
| Institution: | 1. Case Western Reserve University , 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA timothy.atherton@case.edu;3. Electromagnetic Materials Group, School of Physics , University of Exeter , Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL, UK;4. Molecular and Nanoscale Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy , The University of Leeds , Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK |
| Abstract: | We have discovered an optically uniform type of domain that occurs in twisted nematic (TN) cells that are constructed from substrates chemically patterned with stripes via microcontact printing of self-assembled monolayers; such domains do not occur in TN cells constructed from uniform substrates. In such a cell, the azimuthal anchoring at the substrates is due to the elastic anisotropy of the liquid crystal rather than the conventional rubbing mechanism. A model is presented that predicts the relative stability of the twisted and anomalous states as a function of the material and design parameters. |
| Keywords: | twisted nematic micropatterning self-assembled monolayers pretilt control |