Börzsönyi T, Akamatsu S. Surface effects in nucleation and growth of smectic-B crystals in thin samples.
PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2002;
66:051709. [PMID:
12513505 DOI:
10.1103/physreve.66.051709]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2002] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We present an experimental study of the surface effects (interactions with the container walls) during the nucleation and growth of smectic-B (SmB) crystals from the nematic in free growth and directional solidification of a mesogenic molecule [C4H9-(C6H10)2CN] called CCH4 in thin (of thickness in the 10-microm range) samples. We follow the dynamics of the system in real time with a polarizing microscope. The inner surfaces of the glass-plate samples are coated with polymeric films, either rubbed polyimid (PI) films or mono-oriented poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films deposited by friction at high temperature. The orientation of the nematic and the smectic-B is planar. In PI-coated samples, the orientation effect of SmB crystals is mediated by the nematic, whereas, in PTFE-coated samples, it results from a homoepitaxy phenomenon occurring for two degenerate orientations. A recrystallization phenomenon partly destroys the initial distribution of crystal orientations. In directional solidification of polycrystals in PTFE-coated samples, a particular dynamics of faceted grain boundary grooves is at the origin of a dynamical mechanism of grain selection. Surface effects also are responsible for the nucleation of misoriented terraces on facets and the generation of lattice defects in the solid.
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