IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/ijmpcx/v10y1999i02n03ns0129183199000371.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Application Of Finite Element Method To Solve 2d Problems Related To Nematic Surface Properties

Author

Listed:
  • R. BARBERI

    (I.N.F.M. Research Unit of Calabria, c/o Physics Department, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy)

  • M. IOVANE

    (I.N.F.M. Research Unit of Calabria, c/o Physics Department, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy)

  • C. FERRERO

    (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility B.P. 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex, France)

  • V. MOCELLA

    (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility B.P. 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex, France)

Abstract

This paper is devoted to numerical studies of two-dimensional problems concerning surface properties of nematic liquid crystals. We use a finite element method, based essentially on the classic variational approach, to find an approximate solution minimizing the Gibbs free energy of the nematic material under given boundary conditions. Three examples illustrate the performance and versatility of this analysis. Two cases are related to the macroscopic orientation induced by periodic boundary conditions: the first is a saw-toothed substrate in the micrometric range and the second is a microtextured surface. We analyze the bulk planar–homeotropic transition conditions for both of them. In the third case, we study the coupling between the spatial variation of the nematic director and that of the order parameter in the presence of surface-induced distortion.

Suggested Citation

  • R. Barberi & M. Iovane & C. Ferrero & V. Mocella, 1999. "Application Of Finite Element Method To Solve 2d Problems Related To Nematic Surface Properties," International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(02n03), pages 485-500.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijmpcx:v:10:y:1999:i:02n03:n:s0129183199000371
    DOI: 10.1142/S0129183199000371
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0129183199000371
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S0129183199000371?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:ijmpcx:v:10:y:1999:i:02n03:n:s0129183199000371. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/ijmpc/ijmpc.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.