X-ray diffraction reveals the consequences of strong deformation in thin smectic films: dilation and chevron formation
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866916324454694912 |
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| author | Niyonzima, Jean de Dieu Jeridi, Haifa Essaoui, Lamya Tosarelli, Caterina Vlad, Alina Coati, Alessandro Royer, Sebastien Trimaille, Isabelle Goldmann, Michel Gallas, Bruno Constantin, Doru Babonneau, David Garreau, Yves Croset, Bernard Kralj, Samo Kamien, Randall D. Lacaze, Emmanuelle |
| author_facet | Niyonzima, Jean de Dieu Jeridi, Haifa Essaoui, Lamya Tosarelli, Caterina Vlad, Alina Coati, Alessandro Royer, Sebastien Trimaille, Isabelle Goldmann, Michel Gallas, Bruno Constantin, Doru Babonneau, David Garreau, Yves Croset, Bernard Kralj, Samo Kamien, Randall D. Lacaze, Emmanuelle |
| contents | Smectic liquid crystals can be viewed as model systems for lamellar structures for which there has been extensive theoretical development. We demonstrate that a nonlinear energy description is required with respect to the usual Landau-de Gennes elasticity in order to explain the observed layer spacing of highly curved smectic layers. Using X-ray diffraction we have quantitatively determined the dilation of bent layers distorted by antagonistic anchoring (as high as 1.8% of dilation for the most bent smectic layers) and accurately described it by the minimal nonlinear expression for energy. We observe a 1° tilt of planar layers that are connected to the curved layers. This value is consistent with simple energetic calculations, demonstrating how the bending energy impacts the overall structure of a thin distorted smectic film. Finally, we show that combined X-ray measurements and theoretical modeling allow for the quantitative determination of the number of curved smectic layers and of the resulting thickness of the dilated region with unprecedented precision. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_10598 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | X-ray diffraction reveals the consequences of strong deformation in thin smectic films: dilation and chevron formation Niyonzima, Jean de Dieu Jeridi, Haifa Essaoui, Lamya Tosarelli, Caterina Vlad, Alina Coati, Alessandro Royer, Sebastien Trimaille, Isabelle Goldmann, Michel Gallas, Bruno Constantin, Doru Babonneau, David Garreau, Yves Croset, Bernard Kralj, Samo Kamien, Randall D. Lacaze, Emmanuelle Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science Smectic liquid crystals can be viewed as model systems for lamellar structures for which there has been extensive theoretical development. We demonstrate that a nonlinear energy description is required with respect to the usual Landau-de Gennes elasticity in order to explain the observed layer spacing of highly curved smectic layers. Using X-ray diffraction we have quantitatively determined the dilation of bent layers distorted by antagonistic anchoring (as high as 1.8% of dilation for the most bent smectic layers) and accurately described it by the minimal nonlinear expression for energy. We observe a 1° tilt of planar layers that are connected to the curved layers. This value is consistent with simple energetic calculations, demonstrating how the bending energy impacts the overall structure of a thin distorted smectic film. Finally, we show that combined X-ray measurements and theoretical modeling allow for the quantitative determination of the number of curved smectic layers and of the resulting thickness of the dilated region with unprecedented precision. |
| title | X-ray diffraction reveals the consequences of strong deformation in thin smectic films: dilation and chevron formation |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.10598 |