Marangoni Convection in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals of Low Thermal Sensitivity

Abstract

The Marangoni convection in a layer of a nonthermosensitive cholesteric has been obtained. To induce the first stage of the convection (streaming the substance away from the “hot” area), a local heating of the layer is necessary which is from 3 to 4 times as much as that required for thermosensitive cholesterics. The CLC convection motion structures of “roll” type appeared when the layer was locally heated in a thermostat at temperatures close to the clearing point (T _cl) of the cholesteric. The results obtained are discussed in terms of thermal stability of the original cholesteric texture.