| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 47, Number 4, August II 1999
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 442 - 448 | |
| Section | Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i1999-00407-y | |
| Published online | 01 September 2002 | |
Equilibrium textures in main-chain liquid crystalline polymers
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
Received:
17
March
1999
Accepted:
10
June
1999
We analyse the Schlieren textures formed by the nematic director
in a thermotropic main-chain liquid crystalline polymer. After an
initial coarsening, the textures reach a stable time-independent
state which appears to be an equilibrium function of temperature
and material parameters, with a characteristic length scale ξ
of order 
. In particular, we study the evolution
of this domain size when the temperature approaches the
nematic-isotropic transition Tni. The texture size ξ
increases towards Tni, but decreases reversibly when the
temperature decreases back into the nematic phase. We discuss
possible theoretical models that may explain such an equilibrium
polydomain state of nematic director and the dependence of its
size on the nematic order parameter.
PACS: 61.30.-v – Liquid crystals / 61.41.+e – Polymers, elastomers, and plastics / 61.30.Eb – Experimental determinations of smectic, nematic, cholesteric, and other structures
© EDP Sciences, 1999
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