Abstract
We observe, in free-standing films of a chiral smectic liquid crystal, a series of discrete transitions in the relative orientation of the tilt of the interior and surface layers. These transitions include a remarkable reentrant synclinicanticlinic-synclinic ordering sequence of the film surfaces in the presence of an electric field upon cooling. The profiles of the associated heat-capacity anomalies are found to be strongly thickness-dependent and exhibit a novel crossover behavior in reduced dimensions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 393/[2003]-400/[2010] |
Journal | Molecular crystals and liquid crystals |
Volume | 412 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2004 |
Event | Proceedings of the 19th International Liquid Crystal Conference, ILCC2002 - Edinburgh, United Kingdom Duration: Jun 30 2002 → Jul 5 2002 |
Keywords
- Heat capacity
- Liquid-crystal films
- Phase transition
- Synclinic and anticlinic ordering