Unusual thickness-dependent thermal behavior and anticlinic coupling in chiral smectic free-standing liquid-crystal films
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
86
Journal Issue
18
Pages
4048-4051
Date Issued
2001
Author(s)
Lo, C.R.
Wu, P.J.
Liu, Y.H.
Link, D.R.
Maclennan, J.E.
Clark, N.A.
Veum, M.
Huang, C.C.
Ho, J.T.
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 synclinic-anticlinic-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. We measure the anticlinic coupling between tilted surface layers in the smectic- A phase.
Type
journal article