Director distribution in Grandjean-Cano wedge and restoration of surface anchoring potential

• Published in: Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Vol. 646; no. 1; pp. 160 - 167
• Main Authors: Shmeliova, D. V., Belyakov, V. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 24-03-2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Anchoring; Cano-Grandjean wedge; Liquid crystals; Nematic crystals; polarization microscopy; Restoration; restoration of surface anchoring potential; Surfaces anchoring; Wedges
• ISSN: 1542-1406; 1563-5287; 1527-1943
• DOI: 10.1080/15421406.2017.1287399

We extend further the performed early both theoretically and experimentally studies of the director distribution of a chiral nematic liquid crystal placed in a wedge-shaped cell with weak surface anchoring aimed to restore the actual surface anchoring potential. As a result of the present and previous experimental studies
[1-3]
it was found that the experimentally found surface potential (obtained from the measured potential derivative) is very nice fitted by a new model surface anchoring potential, the so called model D-potential (W
s
(ϕ) = (W/2)ϕ
2
), in a wide angular range −π/4< ϕ<π/4.