Surface alignment and anchoring transitions in nematic lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal.
The surface alignment of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals can not only be planar (tangential) but also homeotropic, with self-assembled aggregates perpendicular to the substrate, as demonstrated by mapping optical retardation and by three-dimensional imaging of the director field. With time, the homeotropic nematic undergoes a transition into a tangential state. The anchoring transition is discontinuous and can be described by a double-well anchoring potential with two minima corresponding to tangential and homeotropic orientation.
Nazarenko
V G
VG
Institute of Physics, prospect Nauky 46, Kiev-39, 03039, Ukraine.
Boiko
O P
OP
Park
H-S
HS
Brodyn
O M
OM
Omelchenko
M M
MM
Tortora
L
L
Nastishin
Yu A
YA
Lavrentovich
O D
OD