1. Open Access Kent State
  2. What Aligns Liquid Crystals on Solid Substrates? the Role of Surface Roughness Anisotropy
Author(s)
Abstract

The mechanism responsible for liquid crystal (LC) alignment on mechanically buffed or UV exposed polymer films is poorly understood. A comprehensive study of LC alignment on variously prepared substrates unequivocally shows that the anisotropy in the surface roughness of the substrate completely determines the direction of LC alignment. In all the cases studied, including those where an anchoring transition occurs with temperature, the LC director (re)aligns in the directions of low roughness.
Format
Article
Identifier(s)
10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.077803
Publication Date
2005-02-25
Publication Title
Physical Review Letters
Volume
94
Issue
7
Keywords
Subject
Community
Department of Physics
Comments

Copyright 2005 American Physical Society. Available on publisher's site at http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.077803.
Permalink https://oaks.kent.edu/phypubs/71
Kumar, S., Kim, J.-H., & Shi, Y. (2005). What Aligns Liquid Crystals on Solid Substrates? the Role of Surface Roughness Anisotropy (1–). Physical Review Letters. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.077803
Kumar, Satyendra, Jae-Hoon Kim, and Yushan Shi. 2005. “What Aligns Liquid Crystals on Solid Substrates? The Role of Surface Roughness Anisotropy”. Physical Review Letters. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.077803.
Kumar, Satyendra, et al. What Aligns Liquid Crystals on Solid Substrates? The Role of Surface Roughness Anisotropy. Physical Review Letters, 25 Feb. 2005, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.077803.