Structure and mechanical properties of liquid crystalline filaments

The formation of stable freely suspended filaments is an interesting peculiarity of some liquid crystal phases. So far, little is known about their structure and stability. Similarly to free-standing smectic films, an internal molecular structure of the mesophase stabilizes these macroscopically wel...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics Vol. 71; no. 3 Pt 1; p. 031705
Main Authors Eremin, Alexey, Nemeş, Alexandru, Stannarius, Ralf, Schulz, Mario, Nádasi, Hajnalka, Weissflog, Wolfgang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.03.2005
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:The formation of stable freely suspended filaments is an interesting peculiarity of some liquid crystal phases. So far, little is known about their structure and stability. Similarly to free-standing smectic films, an internal molecular structure of the mesophase stabilizes these macroscopically well-ordered objects with length to diameter ratios of 10(3) and above. In this paper, we report observations of smectic liquid crystal fibers formed by bent-shaped molecules in different mesophases. Our study, employing several experimental techniques, focuses on mechanical and structural aspects of fiber formation such as internal structure, stability, and mechanical and optical properties.
ISSN:1539-3755
DOI:10.1103/physreve.71.031705