title: Liquid crystal alignment induced by micron-scale patterned surfaces.
abstract: Induced bulk orientation of nematic liquid crystal in contact with micron-scale patterned surfaces is investigated using the Landau-de Gennes theory by means of three-dimensional simulations. The effect of the size and spacing of square cross-sectional well and post patterns is investigated and shown to influence the orientation of the liquid crystal bulk, far removed from the surface. Additionally, the effective anchoring strength of the induced alignment is estimated using a modified version of the torque balance method. Both azimuthal and zenithal multistability are shown to exist within unique ranges of feature sizes.
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willman
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seddon
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bulak
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Day
authors.affiliation: University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Fernandez