| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 57, Number 1, January 2002
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 53 - 59 | |
| Section | Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2002-00540-7 | |
| Published online | 01 September 2002 | |
Induced roughness in thin films of smectic-
elastomers
1
Physik anisotroper Fluide, Universität
Leipzig Linnestr. 5, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
2
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge - Cambridge CB3 0HE,
UK
3
Institut für Organische Chemie,
Universät Mainz Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
Corresponding author: kremer@physik.uni-leipzig.de
Received:
13
July
2001
Accepted:
10
October
2001
The surface topography of a thin homeotropically oriented film of
ferroelectric smectic-C* elastomer is studied by atomic force
microscopy. We find that when the film is mechanically stretched,
its surface becomes increasingly rough, in proportion to the
applied strain. The effect depends strongly on the nature of
crosslinks forming the elastomer network. The r.m.s. roughness
correlations show a consistent trend ![$\langle [h(x)-h(0)]^2\rangle ^{1/2} \sim (x/\xi)^{0.5}$](/articles/epl/abs/2002/01/6859/6859_tex_eq2.png)
. We introduce a theoretical model
assuming that random disorder in the smectic tilt angle is induced
by deformations via the coupling of mesogens to the elastic
network. The model describes the observed power law and gives a
prediction for the correlation length ξ.
PACS: 61.30.-v – Liquid crystals / 61.41.+e – Polymers, elastomers, and plastics / 68.35.Ct – Interface structure and roughness
© EDP Sciences, 2002
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