Landau–de Gennes theory of anchoring transitions at a nematic liquid crystal–substrate interface

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Abstract
We have used Landau–de Gennes theory to study anchoring and anchoring transitions at the interface between a nematic liquid crystal and a smooth solid substrate. In contrast to earlier work by Sen and Sullivan, we allow for a spatially varying tilt angle and solve the Euler–Lagrange equations requiring that the order parameters be uniform far from the wall. We have found that temperature-driven anchoring transitions akin to those observed experimentally can be obtained either as a result of the change in the surface order parameter or due to competition between the ordering effects of the solid surface and the nascent isotropic–nematic interface as TNI is approached, in the regime of complete wetting by the isotropic phase. Predictions have also been made for the experimentally observable values of the anchoring energy.

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