Dynamics Control of In-Plane-Switching Liquid Crystal Cell usingHeterogeneous Substrates

Abstract

With stochastic rotational dynamics simulation, we study response behaviors of nematic liquid crystals confined in cells with heterogeneous anchoring substrates against in-plain external fields. The substrates have some patches, on which the strong planar anchoring condition is imposed, on slippery background. We found the response time after the field removal is shortened, whereas the susceptibility under the field is reduced as the patch area fraction is increased and/or the patch size is decreased with fixing the fixed area fraction. Interestingly, master curves in the susceptibility/recovery time phase space are found, and they seem to be dependent solely on the cell thickness.