Thermotropic nematic materials relax strong distortions by lowering the nematic order: theuniaxial symmetry is broken and is locally replaced by biaxial domains. We investigated the dynamicsof the nematic order near a boundary surface of an asymmetric pi-cell submitted to an external electricfield, close to the electric order reconstruction threshold. An unexpected phenomenon is observed close,but below the threshold: the biaxial order spreads on the surface inducing a consequent bulk topologicalbehaviour equivalent to the splay-bend fast transition allowed by order reconstruction at higher voltage.

Biaxial surface order dynamics in calamitic nematics / Lombardo, G; Amoddeo, A; Hamdi, R; Ayeb, H; Barberi, R. - In: THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER. - ISSN 1292-8941. - 35:5(2012), p. 32.32. [10.1140/epje/i2012-12032-y]

Biaxial surface order dynamics in calamitic nematics

Amoddeo A;
2012-01-01

Abstract

Thermotropic nematic materials relax strong distortions by lowering the nematic order: theuniaxial symmetry is broken and is locally replaced by biaxial domains. We investigated the dynamicsof the nematic order near a boundary surface of an asymmetric pi-cell submitted to an external electricfield, close to the electric order reconstruction threshold. An unexpected phenomenon is observed close,but below the threshold: the biaxial order spreads on the surface inducing a consequent bulk topologicalbehaviour equivalent to the splay-bend fast transition allowed by order reconstruction at higher voltage.
2012
thermotropic nematics; order reconstruction; FEM
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12318/6520
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