title: Crystalline transitions in free-standing films of 4-n-heptyloxybenzylidene-4-n-heptylaniline
abstract: Free-standing films of 4-n-heptyloxybenzylidene-4-n-heptylaniline are known to exhibit multiple smectic-I surface layers in the presence of a smectic-A interior. The phase transitions leading to the crystallization of these films have been studied using electron diffraction. Our data are consistent with the scenario of the smectic-I surface layers first developing a crystal-B outermost layer before transforming entirely into the crystal-B phase, to be followed by the freezing of the smectic-A interior. The adjacent crystal-B and smectic-I layers show evidence of orientational epitaxy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ho