The effect of surfaces on the stability of smectic-C* (SmC*) variant phases is investigated. The results obtained using dielectric spectroscopy by varying the cell thickness show that the temperature ranges of SmC_α*, SmCA*(1∕2), and SmCA*(1∕3) phases decrease with decreasing cell thickness, and the SmCA*(1∕3) phase is more stable than the SmCA*(1∕2) phase. The relative stability of any phase is found to be due to its large polar anchoring strength and low free energy compared to other phases in a cell. Experimental results are found to agree with the theory.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Manna et al. (2008) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: