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Casaroto M, Chiccoli C, Evangelista LR, Pasini P, de Souza RT, Zannoni C, Zola RS. Point and line defects in checkerboard patterned hybrid nematic films: A computer simulation investigation. Phys Rev E 2024; 110:014704. [PMID: 39160928 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.110.014704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
We consider a nematic liquid crystal film confined to a flat cell with homeotropic and planar patterned hybrid anchoring and show, using Monte Carlo simulations, the possibility of the system to stabilize line and point defects. The planar anchoring surface is patterned with a chessboardlike grid of squares with alternating random or parallel homogeneous planar anchoring. The simulations show only line defects when the individual domains are small enough, but also point defects when the domain size is significantly larger than the sample thickness. In the latter case, defect lines are not observed in domains with random surface anchoring, although lines and points are connected by a thick line which separates two regions with different director tilts. Increasing the anchoring strength, the defect lines appear a few layers above the surface, with the two ends just above the randomly oriented domains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luiz Roberto Evangelista
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790-87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
- Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 CEP 86812-460-Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Rodolfo Teixeira de Souza
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790-87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
- Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 CEP 86812-460-Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Rafael Soares Zola
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790-87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
- Departamento Acadêmico de Física, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Campus Apucarana, Rua Marcílio Dias, 635 CEP 86812-460-Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil
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