Smectic and Columnar Liquid Crystals features an easy-to-follow, accessible style that describes important concepts and physical properties using genetic experiments.

Features:

• Examines liquid crystals with smectic and columnar orientational order
• Based on lectures given by the authors
• Adopts an easy-to-follow, accessible approach
• Describes important concepts and physical properties using genetic experiments
• Offers valuable information for graduates as well as researchers in the industry

Contents

1. Structure of the smectic A phase and the transition toward the nematic phase
2. Continuum theory of smectics A hydrodynamics
3. Dislocations, focal conics, and rheology of smectics A
4. Ferroelectic and antiferroelectric mesophases
5. The twist-grain boundary smectics
6. Hexatic smectics
7. The smectic B plastic crystal
8. Smectic free films
9. Columnar phases
10. Growth of a columnar hexagonal phase

Index

click here to see books • videos • cd-roms of related interest