Nonspontaneous surface-induced nematic phase.
By means of a Landau-de Gennes mean field model, we predict the existence of a nonspontaneous surface nematic phase in a smectogenic compound in contact with a suitable solid substrate. In the bulk the system does not show any nematic phase, the latter being solely induced by the substrate-liquid crystal interaction. Depending on the strength of the surface potential, a prewetting line, terminating at a critical point, may appear. For strong enough coupling, a new surface smectic phase can be induced, accompanied by a reentrant behavior. Our analysis might explain some recent experimental results [T. Moses, Phys. Rev. E 64, 010702(R) (2001)]: to validate it we suggest possible further experimental investigations.
Lelidis
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Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée, Université de Picardie, 33 rue Saint-Leu, 80039 Amiens cedex, France. Ioannis.Lelidis@u-picardie.fr
Galatola
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