Minimizers for the Cahn-Hilliard energy functional with the Flory-Huggins potential under strong anchoring conditions

Abstract

In this paper, we theoretically and numerically study the minimizers for the Cahn-Hilliard energy with the Flory-Huggins potential under the strong anchoring condition, i.e., the Dirichlet boundary condition. We reveal bifurcation phenomena mediated by the boundary condition, the transition layer thickness, and the temperature of the system. Numerical simulations are also presented to approximate the minimizers of this energy by solving a gradient-flow equation, namely the Allen-Cahn equation constrained with strong anchoring conditions and random initial data. The effects of varying the transition layer thickness and temperature are presented to confirm the theoretical analysis.