Wetting and dewetting of nanoscale films of nematic liquid crystal
Invited
Abstract
The evolution of ultra-thin films (tens of nm) of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) is considered. Such free-surface films can undergo complex dewetting behavior, as observed in experiments. We present a simplified thin-film model for the free surface evolution that includes strong spatially-varying planar anchoring at the substrate, and weak antagonistic anchoring at the free surface. A number of large-scale simulations are presented, showing good qualitative agreement with experiments. Ongoing work including the effect of spatially-varying electric fields on film evolution is briefly highlighted.
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Presenters
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Linda Cummings
New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Inst of Tech
Authors
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Linda Cummings
New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Inst of Tech
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Lou Kondic
New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey Inst of Tech, Department of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Applied Mathematics and Statistics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mathematical Sciences Department, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Chemical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology
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Michael Lam
Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory
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Ensela Mema
Mathematics, West Point Military Academy