Polar in-plane surface orientation of a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal: Polar monodomains and twisted state electro-optics
Xi Chen, Eva Körblová, Matthew A. Glaser, Joseph E. Maclennan, David M. Walba, Noel A. Clark
Abstract
Significance The devices of the portable computing revolution are being made possible by nematic liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. The optical changes viewed in a dynamic LCD image are based on reorienting molecules by coupling electronically generated electric fields to molecular dielectric anisotropy. This takes place in appropriate fluid electro-optic structures stabilized by nonpolar orientational coupling of molecules to surfaces. The recent observation of ferroelectric nematics having spontaneous macroscopic electric polarization density has introduced a much stronger polar coupling of electric field to molecular reorientation in nematics. This development opens opportunities for advanced electro-optics, but these will require polar control of molecular orientation by surfaces. The generation of polar-structured surfaces and their coupling to nematic polarity is demonstrated in this paper.