- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine
Access Provided by Xinjiang University

Physical Review E

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Access by Xinjiang University

Equilibrium shapes of a nematic–smectic-B liquid-crystal interface

Ágnes Buka and Tibor Tóth Katona

Lorenz Kramer

  • KFKI, Research Institute for Solid State Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49, Hungary

  • Institute of Physics, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

PDF

Phys. Rev. E 49, 5271 – Published 1 June, 1994

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.49.5271

Abstract

Equilibrium shapes of the nematic–smectic-B liquid-crystal interface have been investigated. Three types of smectic-B germs with different orientation in a quasi-two-dimensional geometry have been found at small undercooling. Two of these have a similar, rectanglelike shape with two long faceted sides; the third is circular with a small hexagonal modulation. By heating the rapidly grown smectic phase the nematic phase is nucleated below the phase transition. Nematic monodomains were detected for different alignments having a nonfaceted, oval form. From the shape of the germs the angle dependence of the surface tension was determined.

View figure in article

References (20)

  1. J. C. Heyraud and J. J. Metoir, Surf. Sci. 128, 334 (1983).
  2. J. E. Avron, L. S. Balfour, C. G. Kuper, J. Landau, S. G. Lipson and L. S. Schulman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 45, 814 (1980).
  3. It is quite common in liquid crystals that the crystallization transition exhibits a strong hysteresis. As a result, on heating the crystal melts at a temperature that may be higher than any of the liquid-crystalline phase transitions occurring on cooling (``monotropy'').
  4. We are here referring to what is now often called the ``crystal B'' phase, which has a weak 3D ordering, rather than the less common ``hexatic B'' structure, see, e.g., Refs. [5] and [6].
  5. G. W. Gray and J. W. G. Goodby, Smectic Liquid Crystals (Leonard Hill, Glasgow, 1984), Chap. 10.
  6. G. Vertogen and W. H. de Jeu, Thermotropic Liquid Crystals, Fundamentals (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1988), Chap. 3.
  7. J. B. Fournier and G. Durand, J. Phys. II 1, 845 (1991).
  8. S. L. Arora, P. Palffy-Muhoray and R. A. Vora, Liq. Cryst. 5, 133 (1989).
  9. H. Naito, M. Okuda and Ou-Yang Zhong-can, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2912 (1993).
  10. See, e.g., M. Wortis, in Fundamental Problems in Statistical Mechanics VI, Proceedings of the 1984 Trondheim Summer School, edited by E. G. D. Cohen (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1985), p. 87; H. van Beijeren and I. Nolden, in Structure and Dynamics of Surfaces II, edited by W. Schommers and P. van Blankenhagen (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1987), p. 259.
  11. P. Oswald, F. Melo and C. Germain, J. Phys. (France) I 50, 3527 (1989).
  12. A. Buka and N. Eber, Europhys. Lett. 21, 477 (1993).
  13. G. J. Brownsey and A. J. Leadbetter, J. Phys. Lett. 42, L135 (1981).
  14. M. Cagnon and G. Durand, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2742 (1993).
  15. M. Muschol, D. Liu and H. Z. Cummins, Phys. Rev. A 46, 1038 (1992).
  16. S. Faetti and V. Palleschi, J. Chem. Phys. 81, 6254 (1984).
  17. B. Jerome, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 212, 21 (1992); G. Durand, Liq. Cryst. 14, 159 (1993).
  18. B. Valenti, M. Grillo, G. Barbero and T. Valabrega, Europhys. Lett. 12, 407 (1990).
  19. M. Nobili, C. Lazzari, A. Schirone and S. Faetti, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 212, 97 (1992).
  20. P. Oswald, J. Malthete and P. Pelce, J. Phys. (Paris) 50, 2121 (1989).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 49, 5271– Published 1 June, 1994
  • Received 4 February 1994

© 1994 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation