Volume and Surface Phase Transitions in Confined Nematic Liquid Crystals

We study bulk and surface phase transitions in confined nematic liquid crystals exhibiting 1st order isotropic-nematic phase transition in bulk systems. We demonstrate analytically that confinement could in general quantitatively and even qualitatively modify phase behavior. Furthermore, we show that confining substrates could enable surface phase transitions. Studied phase behaviors could be applied also to other condensed matter systems displaying 1st order continuous symmetry order-disorder phase transition if the relevant order parameter amplitude is linearly coupled to a local surface ordering field.