Macroscopic Nematic Orientation Dictated by an Orientationally Frustrated Random-Field Surface: Equilibrium Structure and Kinetics

Liquid crystals subjected to frustrated surfaces with mixed anchoring conditions demonstrate a rich variety of orientational patterns. Particularly, it would trigger either continuous or discontinuous variation of the bulk orientation, i.e., a phenomenon known as the anchoring or orientational transition. Despite its prime importance in developing novel optoelectronic devices, how the surface anchoring patterns dedicate the energy landscape of a system, thus the equilibrium state, still needs to be understood. Here, we designed a simulation to model boundary substrates with two randomly mixed anchoring domains in space, which exhibit planar and homeotropic preferences. We numerically obtain general bulk orientational state diagrams under various surface and electric field conditions, which reveal the roles of each domain's size and surface fraction and anchoring strength on the bulk orientational state. Furthermore, we examine how the external electric field modifies the orientational state diagram and uncovers a field-assisted anchoring transition. We discuss the observed bistability and compare it to experimental evidence.