Electron-diffraction study of free-standing liquid-crystal films

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We have carried out the first electron-diffraction study of thin free-standing liquid-crystal films. Stable films were maintained in a finite atmosphere with use of a differentially pumped sample chamber. It is possible to observe the behavior of single domains even in thin hexatic films by limiting the sample area probed to several micrometers squared. Initial results on two systems exhibiting tilted hexatic behavior have provided novel information about the bond-orientational order parameters and their scaling relationship in films of a few molecular layers.