Investigation of polar alignment properties of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals with the bulk structure change

Abstract

In this study, we aim to unveil the surface alignment of a novel ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals, distinct from conventional nematic liquid crystals, by studying surface anchoring energy. Our analysis brings us closer to discerning a complex interplay between surface polar anchoring and elasticity, with a remarkable dependence on cell gap. We confirm the absence of twisted structures at a 0.5 μm cell gap, implying that polar anchoring energy potentially dominates as the primary factor in surface control. By employing the transmission ellipsometry, an independently developed by our research group, we anticipate elucidating both the normalized polar anchoring energy and its significant impact on polar director alignment.