title: Wetting of cholesteric liquid crystals.
abstract: We investigate theoretically the wetting properties of cholesteric liquid crystals at a planar substrate. If the properties of substrate and of the interface are such that the cholesteric layers are not distorted, the wetting properties are similar to those of a nematic liquid crystal. If, on the other hand, the anchoring conditions force the distortion of the liquid crystal layers the wetting properties are altered, the free cholesteric-isotropic interface is non-planar and there is a layer of topological defects close to the substrate. These deformations can either promote or hinder the wetting of the substrate by a cholesteric, depending on the properties of the cholesteric liquid crystal.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional and Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal. nmsilvestre@fc.ul.pt.
authors.forename: Nuno M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional and Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Figueirinhas Pereira
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional and Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nelson R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Bernardino
authors.affiliation: Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional and Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Margarida M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Telo da Gama
mesh_terms: D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017155:Wettability
keywords: Topical Issue: Wetting and Drying: Physics and Pattern Formation