Theory of a symmetry-breaking phase transition in a surface layer of nematic liquid crystal

1993 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 1115-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. L’vov ◽  
R. M. Hornreich ◽  
D. W. Allender
Author(s):  
I. Andrade-Silva ◽  
U. Bortolozzo ◽  
C. Castillo-Pinto ◽  
M. G. Clerc ◽  
G. González-Cortés ◽  
...  

Order–disorder phase transitions driven by temperature or light in soft matter materials exhibit complex dissipative structures. Here, we investigate the spatio-temporal phenomena induced by light in a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal layer. Experimentally, for planar anchoring of the nematic layer and high enough input power, photoisomerization processes induce a nematic–isotropic phase transition mediated by interface propagation between the two phases. In the case of a twisted nematic layer and for intermediate input power, the light induces a spatially modulated phase, which exhibits stripe patterns. The pattern originates as an instability mediated by interface propagation between the modulated and the homogeneous nematic states. Theoretically, the phase transition, emergence of stripe patterns and front dynamics are described on the basis of a proposed model for the dopant concentration coupled with the nematic order parameter. Numerical simulations show quite a fair agreement with the experimental observations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 2)’.


2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (32) ◽  
pp. 11109-11114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shyamal Kumar Kundu ◽  
Shun Okudaira ◽  
Masanori Kosuge ◽  
Naoki Shinyashiki ◽  
Shin Yagihara

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 6955-6955 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. O. López ◽  
B. Robles-Hernández ◽  
J. Salud ◽  
M. R. de la Fuente ◽  
N. Sebastián ◽  
...  

Correction for ‘Miscibility studies of two twist-bend nematic liquid crystal dimers with different average molecular curvatures. A comparison between experimental data and predictions of a Landau mean-field theory for the NTB–N phase transition’ by D. O. López et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 4394–4404.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (07) ◽  
pp. 1950063
Author(s):  
Marcel G. Clerc ◽  
Michał Kowalczyk ◽  
Panayotis Smyrnelis

In this paper, we describe domain walls appearing in a thin, nematic liquid crystal sample subject to an external field with intensity close to the Fréedericksz transition threshold. Using the gradient theory of the phase transition adapted to this situation, we show that depending on the parameters of the system, domain walls occur in the bistable region or at the border between the bistable and the monostable region.


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