Phase transition in ellipsoidal droplets of nematic liquid crystals

Abstract

We developed a simple method for the calculation of the director field distribution in the droplets of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) of any shape, allowing for the interaction of LCs with the droplet surface, as well as the influence of constant electric field. In contrast to different approaches, the approach that is developed in the present paper does not require any simplifying suppositions about the structure of the LC director field. The elastic-continuum theory is used, complemented with the possibility of consideration of point and linear defects. Calculations are performed using the Monte Carlo method on a simple grid. The triangulation technique is used to take the boundary conditions of droplets of a complex shape into account. The developed approach can be used for investigation of the properties of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). The topological phase transitions in the nematic LC 4-cyano-4′-pentyl-biphenyl (5CB) in spherical and ellipsoidal droplets are investigated in this paper.