Nematic Liquid Crystals (CL) dominate the market for high-resolution display devices.Unfortunately, their relatively slow response times (> 1 ms) greatly limit their use in thedevelopment of more efficient screens (3D screens) and components (switches, couplers,filters). In this context, newly discovered Twist-Bend Nematic (TBN) similar to the usualnematic phases, but spontaneously deformed at the level of a few nanometers, due to thecurved shape of the molecules, are very promising [1]. In fact, the more rigid structure ofTBN makes it possible to achieve ultra-short electrical field response times (<1 μs). Thestudy of TBN and their potential in new applications requires to master their anchoring, i.e.their orientation on the solid confinement walls.
In this paper we present an experimental study of a newly synthesized TBN the: N,N0 -Bis(4,40-cyanobiphenymethylidene)-nonane-1,9-diamine (CBI-9-ICB), under well controlledanchoring and confinement conditions.
In the experiment, the compound is inserted by capillarity in a cell made by two parallel glassplates with few microns gap. Different anchoring conditions have been examined. We showthat rubbed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Dimethyloctadecyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ammonium chloride (DMOAP) treated substrates give different anchoring and texture fromthat given by usual nematic as 4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB). In Figure 1 is represented atypical TBN texture observed under Polarizing Optical Microscope in a cell withhomogeneous planar anchoring obtained with rubbed PVA. Stripes parallel to the anchoringorientation having a wavelength proportional to the cell thickness are measured. The sametexture is also found in rubbed Polyimide substrates. Currently, two models are proposed toexplain this texture. The first is related to the Helfrich-Hurault instability due to the presenceof TBN pseudo-layers [2]. The second is based on the peculiar elasticity of the TBN directorfield [3]. Although it is not clear how these models could reproduce the observed lineardependence of pattern periodicity as a function of the cell gap. In Figure 2 is reported theTBN texture for silane treated glass plates that gives, for ordinary nematic, homeotropic (i.e.perpendicular to the plate) anchoring. The resulting anchoring for TBN is surprisingly planardegenerated as one can infer from the presence of half-strength disclinations. A mosaictexture with homogeneously oriented domains reminiscent of SmC mosaic also appears.Such textures will be discussed in the framework of the elastic theory of TBN.
References:
[1] C. Meyer, G. R. Luckhurst and I. Dozov, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2013,111 (6), 0031-9007.
[2 P. K. Challa,V. Borshch,O. Parri, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2014, 89 (6), 1539-3755.
[3] V. P. Panov, M. Nagaraj, J. K. Vij, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2010, 105 (16), 0031-9007.

N.A.

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