title: Structure and mechanical properties of liquid crystalline filaments.
abstract: The formation of stable freely suspended filaments is an interesting peculiarity of some liquid crystal phases. So far, little is known about their structure and stability. Similarly to free-standing smectic films, an internal molecular structure of the mesophase stabilizes these macroscopically well-ordered objects with length to diameter ratios of 10(3) and above. In this paper, we report observations of smectic liquid crystal fibers formed by bent-shaped molecules in different mesophases. Our study, employing several experimental techniques, focuses on mechanical and structural aspects of fiber formation such as internal structure, stability, and mechanical and optical properties.
authors.affiliation: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, FNW/ IEP/ ANP, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eremin
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nemeş
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stannarius
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Hajnalka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nádasi
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog