Shj. Idziak et al., STUDY OF FLOW IN A SMECTIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL IN THE X-RAY SURFACE FORCESAPPARATUS, International journal of thermophysics, 16(2), 1995, pp. 299-307
We describe the newly invented X-Ray Surface Forces Apparatus (X-SFA)
which allows the simultaneous measurement of forces and collective str
uctures of confined complex fluids under static and flow conditions. T
he structure of the smectic liquid crystal 8CB (4-cyano-4'-octylbiphen
yl) confined between two mica surfaces with separation ranging from 40
00 to 20,000 Angstrom was measured. At small gaps and no shear, the sm
ectic layers take on distinct stable orientations, including the bulk
forbidden ''b'' orientation, which persist under low shear (gamma less
than or equal to 30 s(-1)). However, at higher shear rates (gamma = 3
60 s(-1)), the shear acts to dramatically order and align the smectic
layers into a single ''a'' orientation.