Dynamics of Defect Annihilation in Vitrified Liquid Crystalline (VLC) Thin Films Upon Thermal Annealing

Based on a series of model nematic and chiral-nematic compounds as well as a polymer analog, it was found that the annihilation of defects in a VLC system occurs at a much faster rate than its polymer analog. In chiral-nematic blends, the degree of structural similarity between the nematic host and the chiral dopant plays an important role; a wider biphasic region contributes to a slower annihilation process.