STRUCTURE AND SHAPE OF NEMATIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL MICRODROPLETS

We calculate the continuous dependence of structure and shape of tange ntially anchored nematic liquid-crystal microdroplets on the parameter s of anchoring strength w(0) and radius r, at fixed temperature, using a numerical relaxation method and Landau-de Gennes theory. The struct ure is characterized by spatially varying order parameter and director fields S and (n) over cap, and the shape of a free droplet is assumed to be a prolate ellipsoid. For droplets of fixed spherical shape, we find discontinuous and discontinuous order-disorder and uniform-distor ted transitions of S induced by r and by w(0), respectively, and unifo rm-distorted transitions of (n) over cap induced by both r and w(0). F or free droplets, we show that the surface interactions can indeed ind uce prolateness, which increases toward a limiting value as the volume becomes smaller, and which is nearly proportional to w(0)/sigma, wher e sigma is the director-independent part of the surface tension.