Direct decoration of disclinations by solidification-induced band texture and focal-conic texture for a low molar mass liquid crystal

Abstract

Two decoration methods, solidification-induced band texture decoration and focal-conic texture decoration, were established to map the director field of disclinations in a low molar mass methacrylate liquid crystal. It was found that when the specimen film is quenched from the nematic melt to room temperature, solidification-induced band texture is observed arrayed along with the schlieren texture, and the orientation of the director field can be displayed. Moreover, when the specimen is cooled from the nematic melt to 63°C and annealed, the focal-conic texture of the smectic A phase is found to grow around the corresponding disclination core with good orientation to reveal the director field. By the two decoration techniques, the director fields of disclinations with strength s = 1/2 and s = ± 1 were revealed. Two types of inversion wall, loop-like wall and splay-type wall, were found by both solidification-induced band texture decoration and focal-conic texture decoration.