Order Reconstruction in a Nanoconfined Nematic Liquid Crystal between Two Coaxial Cylinders
Department of Physics, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Ingo Dierking
Materials 2015, 8(12), 8072-8086; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8125446
Received: 8 October 2015
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Revised: 13 November 2015
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Accepted: 16 November 2015
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Published: 30 November 2015
(This article belongs to the Section Advanced Materials Characterization)
The dynamics of a disclination loop (s = ±1/2) in nematic liquid crystals constrained between two coaxial cylinders were investigated based on two-dimensional Landau–de Gennes tensorial formalism by using a finite-difference iterative method. The effect of thickness (d = R2 − R1, where R1 and R2 represent the internal and external radii of the cylindrical cavity, respectively) on the director distribution of the defect was simulated using different R1 values. The results show that the order reconstruction occurs at a critical value of dc, which decreases with increasing inner ratio R1. The loop also shrinks, and the defect center deviates from the middle of the system, which is a non-planar structure. The deviation decreases with decreasing d or increasing R1, implying that the system tends to be a planar cell. Two models were then established to analyze the combined effect of non-planar geometry and electric field. The common action of these parameters facilitates order reconstruction, whereas their opposite action complicates the process.
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Keywords:
liquid crystal; order reconstruction; disclination loop; cylindrical wall; biaxial transition; Landau–de Gennes theory
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zhou, X.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Ye, W. Order Reconstruction in a Nanoconfined Nematic Liquid Crystal between Two Coaxial Cylinders. Materials 2015, 8, 8072-8086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8125446
AMA Style
Zhou X, Zhang Z, Zhang Q, Ye W. Order Reconstruction in a Nanoconfined Nematic Liquid Crystal between Two Coaxial Cylinders. Materials. 2015; 8(12):8072-8086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8125446
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhou, Xuan, Zhidong Zhang, Qian Zhang, and Wenjiang Ye. 2015. "Order Reconstruction in a Nanoconfined Nematic Liquid Crystal between Two Coaxial Cylinders" Materials 8, no. 12: 8072-8086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma8125446
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