Charge-, salt- and flexoelectricity-driven anchoring effects in nematics

Jeffrey Christopher Everts (Author), Miha Ravnik (Author)

Abstract

We investigate the effects of electric double layers and flexoelectricity on the surface anchoring in general nematic fluids. Within a simplified model, we demonstrate for a nematic electrolyte how the surface anchoring strength can be affected by the surface charge, bulk ion concentration and/or flexoelectricity, effectively changing not only the magnitude of the anchoring but also the anchoring type, such as from planar to tilted. In particular, we envisage possible tuning of the anchoring strength by the salt concentration in the regime where sufficiently strong electrostatic anchoring, as controlled by the (screened) surface charge, can compete with the non-electrostatic anchoring. This effect is driven by the competing energetic-torque couplings between nematic director and the emergent electrostatic potential, due to surface charge, ions and flexoelectricity. Our findings propose a way of influencing surface anchoring by using electrostatic effects, which could be used in various aspects, including in the self-assembly of colloidal particles in nematic fluids, optical and display patterns, and sensing.

Keywords

nematske tekočine;elektrostatika;električna dvojna plast;fleksoelektričnost;površinsko sidranje;nematic fluids;electrostatics;electric double layer;flexoelectricity;surface anchoring;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2021
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
UDC:	544.6/.7
COBISS:	21920003
ISSN:	0267-8292
Views:	482
Downloads:	145
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary keywords:	nematske tekočine;elektrostatika;električna dvojna plast;fleksoelektričnost;površinsko sidranje;
Embargo end date (OpenAIRE):	2021-07-07
Pages:	str. 423-435
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ48
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ3
Chronology:	2021
DOI:	10.1080/02678292.2020.1786176
ID:	11890309