Complex fluids at complex surfaces simply complicated

We study wetting and filling of patterned surfaces by a nematic liquid crystal. We focus on three important classes of periodic surfaces: triangular, sinusoidal and rectangular. The results highlight the similarities and differences of nematic wetting of these surfaces and wetting by simple fluids....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Patricio, Pedro (author)
Other Authors: Romero-Enrique, J. M. (author), Silvestre, N. M. (author), Bernardino, N. R. (author), da Gama, M. M. T. (author)
Format: article
Language:eng
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Wetting Transitions
Nematics Liquid Crystals
Patterned Substrates
Nemantic-Liquid-Crystal
Induced Orientational Order
Phase-Transition
Substrate Interface
Isotropic-Phase
Wedge
Alignment
Layer
Films
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/2121
Country:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorio.ipl.pt:10400.21/2121
Description
Summary:We study wetting and filling of patterned surfaces by a nematic liquid crystal. We focus on three important classes of periodic surfaces: triangular, sinusoidal and rectangular. The results highlight the similarities and differences of nematic wetting of these surfaces and wetting by simple fluids. The interplay of geometry, surface and elastic energies can lead to the suppression of either filling or wetting. The periodic rectangular surface displays re-entrant transitions, with a sequence dry-filled-wet-filled, in the relevant region of parameter space.

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