TY - JOUR
T1 - Thin-thick coexistence behavior of 8CB liquid crystalline films on silicon
AU - Garcia, R.
AU - Subashi, E.
AU - Fukuto, M.
PY - 2008/5/14
Y1 - 2008/5/14
N2 - The wetting behavior of thin films of 4-n-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) on Si is investigated via optical and x-ray reflectivity measurement. An experimental phase diagram is obtained showing a broad thick-thin coexistence region spanning the bulk isotropic-to-nematic (TIN) and the nematic-to-smectic-A (TNA) temperatures. For Si surfaces with coverages between 47 and 72±3nm, reentrant wetting behavior is observed twice as we increase the temperature, with separate coexistence behaviors near TIN and TNA. For coverages less than 47 nm, however, the two coexistence behaviors merge into a single coexistence region. The observed thin-thick coexistence near the second-order NA transition is not anticipated by any previous theory or experiment. Nevertheless, the behavior of the thin and thick phases within the coexistence regions is consistent with this being an equilibrium phenomenon.
AB - The wetting behavior of thin films of 4-n-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) on Si is investigated via optical and x-ray reflectivity measurement. An experimental phase diagram is obtained showing a broad thick-thin coexistence region spanning the bulk isotropic-to-nematic (TIN) and the nematic-to-smectic-A (TNA) temperatures. For Si surfaces with coverages between 47 and 72±3nm, reentrant wetting behavior is observed twice as we increase the temperature, with separate coexistence behaviors near TIN and TNA. For coverages less than 47 nm, however, the two coexistence behaviors merge into a single coexistence region. The observed thin-thick coexistence near the second-order NA transition is not anticipated by any previous theory or experiment. Nevertheless, the behavior of the thin and thick phases within the coexistence regions is consistent with this being an equilibrium phenomenon.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.197801
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.197801
M3 - Article
C2 - 18518487
AN - SCOPUS:43749114020
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 100
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 19
M1 - 197801
ER -