Electrooptic behaviour of a nematic MBBA layer with a thick interfacial surfactant layer

The electro‐optic behaviour of MBBA nematic layers with various surfactants added of anionic, cationic, zwitterionic and non‐ionic character and a considerable amount (2wt% to 8 wt%) was studied. The formation of surface‐induced flexoelectric domains in all cases clearly showed that the anchoring of the liquid crystal layers has been weak. Such a weak anchoring can be explained with the formation of a perioidc (in the most simple case sinusoidal) MBBA‐surfactant interface boundary with a mutual penetration of the liquid crystal and surfactant molecules with some gradient.