DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2002-10109-x
Self-organization of
inclusions in
free-standing films
P. Cluzeau1, V. Bonnand1, G. Joly1, V. Dolganov2 and H.T. Nguyen3
1 Laboratoire de Dynamique et Structure des Matériaux Moléculaires, UMR CNRS 8024, Université de Lille I, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
2 Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432, Chernogolovska, Moscow district, Russia
3 Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, CNRS, Avenue A. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
Philippe.cluzeau@univ-lille1.fr
(Received 1 July 2002 / Published online: 15 April 2003)
Abstract
The behaviour of freely suspended smectic-C* (
) films
at the bulk
-cholesteric (
) phase transition has been investigated
using polarized-reflected-light microscopy. Our experimental observations
show that above the bulk
-
phase transition the
order appears in
different ways according to the film thickness. In thin films, the
conventional layer-by-layer thinning occurs. In films of intermediate
thickness
inclusions nucleate inside the
film. The distortions of
the in-plane orientational order of the
host phase induce elastic
interactions between the inclusions and lead to their self-organization in
chain-like structures. Both the dynamic of the chaining and the parameters
driving the equilibrium distance between the inclusions in the chain are
investigated. In thick films,
fingers grow inside the film. The influence
of the experimental conditions on the various processes is analysed.
64.70.Md - Transitions in liquid crystals.
61.30.Jf - Defects in liquid crystals.
61.30.Gd - Orientational order of liquid crystals; electric and magnetic field effects on order.
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2003
