https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050234
X-ray scattering by monodomains of blue phases with smectic ordering
1
Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (URA 002) ,
Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
2
Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal (UPR 8641) , Avenue A. Schweitzer,
33600 Pessac, France
3
Institut Curie-Section de Recherche (URA 168) ,
11 rue P. et M. Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
Corresponding author: a pansu@lps.u-psud.fr
Received:
9
December
1997
Accepted:
27
February
1998
Published online: 15 March 1998
We report the first X-ray study on monodomains of the recently discovered blue phases with presumed smectic order. We have succeeded in growing large, well oriented monodomains of BP2. X-ray scattering performed on these monodomains clearly show that smectic order is present in these blue phases but with a smaller correlation length than in the neighbouring TGB phase. Moreover the smectic order possesses the symmetry of the blue phase lattice.
PACS: 61.10.-i – X-ray diffraction and scattering / 61.30.Eb – Experimental determinations of smectic, nematic, cholesteric, and other structures
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 1998
