STABILITY OF UNDULOIDLIKE SHAPES OF SMECTIC-A PHASE GROWN FROM ISOTROPIC-PHASE

Stability of unduloidlike shapes of a smectic A (Sm-A) phase grown fro m an isotropic (I) phase has been studied. An equilibrium shape equati on for smectic A phase is derived by taking account of the difference in a Gibbs free energy between the smectic A and the isotropic phase, a curvature elastic energy of the smectic A phase, and an interface en ergy. The stability of unduloidlike shapes has been experimentally exa mined in the binary mixture of octyloxycyanobiphenyl with dodecyl alco hol. The experimental results can be theoretically explained in case w here the experimentally observed surfaces are unduloid of Delaunay's s urfaces.