An improved directional growth apparatus for liquid crystals: applications to thermotropic and lyotropic systems

Abstract

We have built a directional growth apparatus adapted for the study of thermotropic or lyotropic liquid crystals. This cell allows us to work under inert gas, to orient the sample from outside with respect to the temperature gradient, and to measure the front temperature within 0.1 °C. Three applications are described. The first deals with the growth of a monocrystal of pivalic acid when the easy growth axis makes an angle with the heat flow direction. The second experiment is concerned with the fast growth of a discotic liquid crystal and the measurement of the molecular attachment kinetic coefficient at the interface between the columnar hexagonal mesophase and the isotropic liquid. A dynamical anchoring transition between domains of planar and homeotropic orientation will be also described. The last example focuses on the growth of a hexagonal phase of a water-surfactant binary mixture and the first observation of the Mullins-Sekerka instability in a lyotropic system.