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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
External And Intrinsic Anchoring In Nematic Liquid Crystals: A Monte Carlo Study, Nikolai V. Priezjev, G. Skacej, R. A. Pelcovits, S. Zumer
External And Intrinsic Anchoring In Nematic Liquid Crystals: A Monte Carlo Study, Nikolai V. Priezjev, G. Skacej, R. A. Pelcovits, S. Zumer
Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications
We present a Monte Carlo study of external surface anchoring in nematic cells with partially disordered solid substrates, as well as of intrinsic anchoring at free nematic interfaces. The simulations are based on the simple hexagonal lattice model with a spatially anisotropic intermolecular potential. We estimate the corresponding extrapolation length b by imposing an elastic deformation in a hybrid cell-like nematic sample. Our estimates for b increase with increasing surface disorder and are essentially temperature independent. Experimental values of b are approached only when both the coupling of nematic molecules with the substrate and the anisotropy of nematic-nematic interactions are …
Optomechanical Properties Of Stretched Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films For Scattering Polarizer Applications, Iciro Amimori, Nikolai V. Priezjev, Robert A. Pelcovits, Gregory P. Crawford
Optomechanical Properties Of Stretched Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films For Scattering Polarizer Applications, Iciro Amimori, Nikolai V. Priezjev, Robert A. Pelcovits, Gregory P. Crawford
Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications
A scattering polarizer is created by subjecting a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film to tensile strain. The optomechanical properties of the film are investigated by simultaneously measuring the stress-strain and polarization dependent optical transmission characteristics. The correlation between transmittances of two orthogonal polarizations and the stress-strain curve reveals that the polymer orientation as well as the droplet shape anisotropy influences the liquid crystal alignment within the droplets. A Monte-Carlo simulation based on the Lebwohl-Lasher model is used to explain the subtle influence of polymer orientation on liquid crystal alignment.