Some years ago we proposed an automated reflectometric method to measure the director azimuthal angle at the interface between a nematic liquid crystal and another medium. The method ensures a great accuracy and sensitivity and is virtually unaffected by the presence of a director bulk distortion. This latter property makes it possible to measure strong anchoring energies. In the present experiment, we use this method to measure the azimuthal anchoring energy at the interface between the nematic liquid crystal 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and a rubbed polyimide layer. This kind of interface is characterized by a strong azimuthal anchoring and, thus, it represents a good test for the proposed reflectometric method. An ac planar electric field is applied to a nematic layer and the consequent azimuthal rotation of the director at the interface is measured. The anchoring energy coefficient Wa at room temperature is strong (Wa=0.33 x 10(-3) J/m2) and decreases greatly as the clearing temperature is approached. The time response of the azimuthal surface director angle to a stepwise electric field evidences the characteristic slow dynamics which is currently observed for weak anchoring substrates.

A gliding of the director at the interface between a nematic liquid crystal and a solid medium is generally observed at many interfaces giving weak or moderately strong anchoring. This phenomenon is characterized by strongly non-linear dynamics and very long relaxation times (hours-days). The gliding of the director has also been observed very recently at the interface between a rubbed polyimide layer and a nematic liquid crystal which gives strong azimuthal anchoring. However, due to the weak nature of the experimental signals that characterizes the strong anchoring, this latter measurement was appreciably affected by thermal drift. In this paper, we develop a new experimental reflectometric method whereby the thermal drift is appreciably reduced. The method allows us to obtain more accurate signals and to investigate their time dependence. It is shown that the director gliding is well represented by a stretched exponential, as well as in the case of weak anchoring substrates. These measurements confirm that the gliding of the director is a universal phenomenon characterizing any kind of substrate with either weak and strong anchoring