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arXiv · 1507.04510

Wetting of cholesteric liquid crystals

Nuno M. Silvestre·Maria Carolina Figueirinhas Pereira·Nelson R. Bernardino·Margarida M. Telo da Gama
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Abstract

We investigate theoretically the wetting properties of cholesteric liquid crystals at a planar substrate. If the properties of substrate and of the interface are such that the cholesteric layers are not distorted the wetting properties are similar to those of a nematic liquid crystal. If, on the other hand, the anchoring conditions force the distortion of the liquid crystal layers the wetting properties are altered, the free cholesteric-isotropic interface is non-planar and there is a layer of topological defects close to the substrate. These deformations can either promote or hinder the wetting of the substrate by a cholesteric, depending on the properties of the cholesteric liquid crystal.

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Nuno M. Silvestre, Maria Carolina Figueirinhas Pereira, Nelson R. Bernardino, Margarida M. Telo da Gama. 2015-07-16. Wetting of cholesteric liquid crystals. https://arxiv.org/abs/1507.04510

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