title: Relationship between surface order and surface azimuthal anchoring strength of nematic liquid crystals.
abstract: The liquid-crystal molecular order near the rubbed polymer surface is reexamined by the improved torque balance method. The surface azimuthal anchoring strength measured by the improved torque balance method is several times larger than that believed conventionally, considered to be significantly affected by the phase-transition behavior. Based on this result, it can be argued that the correlation between the rubbing strength and the surface azimuthal anchoring strength should be improved in consideration of the mechanism of surface order.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1 Kamitomioka, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188, Japan. shioka@gm.hrl.hitachi.co.jp
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitsumoto
authors.forename: Munehiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akahane