Influence of Bulk Nematic Orientation on the Interface between a Liquid Crystalline Polymer and a Flexible Polymer

The structure of the interface between a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) and a flexible polymer was studied using the three-dimensional bond fluctuation model in Monte Carlo simulations. Orientation in both phases in the neighborhood of the interface is sensitive to the far-field nematic orientation. The more diffuse interface caused by a homeotropic far-field orientation in the LCP results in a substantial reduction in the calculated interfacial tension relative to that for a planar far-field orientation.