Field-induced dependence of anchoring energy and surface tension in smectic liquid crystal films deposited on a solid surface

We have carried out a numerical study of the structural, thermodynamic, anchoring and surface tension properties of thin smectic films deposited in vacuo on a solid surface and subjected to external electric field E. The effects both of surface enhanced pair interactions in the bounding LC/solid and LC/vacuum layers and of E on the orientational and translational order parameters, as well as on Helmholtz free and anchoring energies, entropy, and surface tension of smectic films have been investigated. Calculations, based upon the extended McMillan’s approach with anisotropic forces, shows a weak effect of E on the anchoring energy. A reasonable agreement between the theoretically predicted and the experimentally obtained data on the anchoring energy and surface tension of 4-n-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl films has been obtained.