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Thin free-standing films (FSFs) of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) were investigated by transmission ellipsometry. The phase difference between p-polarized and s-polarized light was measured as a function of the temperature and the incidence angle of the light beam. It was found that the structure of an FSF with two layers is anticlinic (SmC * A ) throughout the temperature range investigated whereas the bulk sample shows several phases, from SmC * A to SmA phases. The four layer FSF showed only one phase transition (from SmC * A to SmA) in this temperature range. Even for such a thin film as one with five layers, a subphase or subphases between SmC * A and SmA were found.
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Kobayashi et al. (1999) studied this question.
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