Recent discoveries of advanced photocontrolled materials have kindled a great deal of interest on their use as command surfaces that switch easy axis under light radiation. One noticeable point when using switchable surfaces on any application is how the dynamical process propagates to the bulk directors. In this paper, we theoretically study the effect of a relaxing easy axis over time on a nematic sample when finite anchoring energy and surface viscosity are included. We first consider the case where just one of the substrates decay over time in an initially distorted director organization. Next, we assume that both substrates can be switched simultaneously. From the calculated director we obtained the optical profile and finally the molecular response time of the material. The response time depends on both the materials and the surfaces properties including its decay time. Our results might be used for understanding and engineering liquid crystal displays and other electro-optical devices with photocontrolled alignment layers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.