PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N Scaramuzza

Publications and source records attributed to N Scaramuzza.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Influence of the bias-voltage on the anchoring energy for nematic liquid crystals.

The influence of the bias-voltage on the anisotropic part of the nematic surface energy is analyzed. The experimental data show a strong dependence of the anchoring strength on the bias-voltage when the electrodes of the nematic cell are covered with WO3. The observed dependence can be interpreted taking into account the ions dissolved in the liquid crystal. We propose a model in which the effect of the bias-voltage is to collect the ions near the electrodes, in a surface layer whose thickness is of the order of the Debye's screening length. The surplus of electric field due to this ions confinement gives rise to an electrostatic contribution to the total energy that can be considered as a surface energy. The proposed model is in good agreement with the experimental data. The model is used to interpret the observed independence of the anchoring strength on the bias-voltage when the (indium-tin-oxide) electrode is covered with a film of polyimide, or it is without any covering. The influence of a charge emission from the electrodes under the bias voltage on the anchoring energy is also analyzed. Possible applications of the observed phenomenon are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Liquid-crystal-electrochromic-material interface: a p-n-like electro-optic junction.

A liquid crystal (LC) cell has been made by using a standard sandwich configuration with one of the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes covered by a thin layer of tungsten trioxide (WO3). In this kind of cell optical polarization switching (observed under a crossed polarizer microscope) occurs for only one of the two polarities of an ac external applied electric field, while in the usual liquid crystal cells the electro-optic response does not depend on the sign of the field. The inhibiting switching configuration corresponds to anodic polarization of the tungsten trioxide film in which the deintercalation of cations occurs. Here we present the time behavior of charge and discharge for both the anodic and cathodic currents. A model based on charge carrier exchange between the ITO-WO3 and WO3-LC interfaces and also electrochemical processes is reported. Our model is also capable of explaining the electric and electro-optic asymmetric responses of the cell. Numerical calculations confirm the model.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Electrical and electro-optical investigations of liquid crystal cells containing WO3 thin films

An interesting application of the fast ion transport properties of tungsten trioxide is presented, when it is inserted as an electrode in nematic liquid crystal (NLC) cells. In a standard sandwichlike cell the nematic liquid crystal, confined between two transparent plane electrodes of purely electronic conductors [indium tin oxide (ITO)], undergoes a molecular reorientation under the action of an external electric field E. This electrically controlled birefringence (electro-optical switching) is proportional to E2, thus polarity insensitive [L. M. Blinov and V. G. Chigrinov, Electrooptic Effects in Liquid Crystal Materials (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1994)]. When a thin film of tungsten trioxide is deposited by magnetron sputtering onto one of the transparent ITO electrodes, and a NLC cell is assembled with such asymmetry, the electro-optical response becomes polarity sensitive [G. Strangi et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 534 (1999)]. The analysis of this response suggests the occurrence of a reverse internal electric field, associated with the ionic diffusion process of protons always present in these sputtered WO3 films [E. Cazzanelli et al., Electrochim. Acta 44, 3101 (1999)]. By using an opportune voltage waveform it is possible to evaluate such an internal field. Impedance and cyclic voltammetry measurements were carried out on these cells, comparing "as-deposited" and "annealed" tungsten trioxide electrodes. These studies confirm that an important ionic diffusion process is involved in the establishment of an internal electric field, which modifies the electro-optical response of the nematic liquid crystal cell.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Photopolarimetric characterization of the transition between two turbulent states in a nematic liquid crystal film.

This work was aimed at the photopolarimetric characterization of the transition between two dynamic scattering modes that take place in a planarly aligned nematic liquid crystal sample, under the effect of an external low-frequency electric field. The time evolution of the degree of polarization and the behavior of the radiation entropy of the transmitted light allow us to interpret the transition between two turbulent states, or dynamic scattering modes, as a decay from a two-dimensional (2D) to a (3D) turbulence.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Turbulence to turbulence transition in homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystals.

In this paper, a study of the electrically driven turbulent-turbulent transition in a homeotropically oriented nematic sample is reported. The transition has the characteristics of a nucleation process, and its threshold has been experimentally determined. The nucleation rate and the growth velocity of the new turbulent nuclei are also reported.

Journal Article↗