Surface and Bulk Uniaxial to Biaxial Smectic-A Transition in a Bent Core Liquid Crystal

LiDong Pan, B. K. McCoy, Shun Wang, Wolfgang Weissflog, and C. C. Huang
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 117802 – Published 10 September 2010

Abstract

A null transmission ellipsometer was employed to study the uniaxial to biaxial smectic-A phase transition of a bent core liquid crystal material. Free-standing films of thicknesses ranging from 5 molecular layers to more than 300 were prepared and studied. Critical exponents for both the surface and interior biaxiality were obtained. The results were discussed in the general framework of phase transition in lower dimensions.

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  • Received 20 May 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.117802

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

LiDong Pan1, B. K. McCoy1,2, Shun Wang1, Wolfgang Weissflog3, and C. C. Huang1

  • 1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
  • 2Department of Mathematics and Physics, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California 91702, USA
  • 3Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Mühlpforte 1, D-06108 Halle, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 105, Iss. 11 — 10 September 2010

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