PATTERN-FORMATION AND INSTABILITY OF SMECTIC-A FILAMENTS GROWN FROM AN ISOTROPIC-PHASE

Pattern formation and instability of smectic-A filaments grown from an isotropic phase have been investigated. The evolution and shape equat ions for the filaments are derived by a variation of the free energy o f the filaments. It is shown from the evolution equation that the leng th of the filament increases exponentially with time under a cooling p rocess. It is also shown from the shape equation that the existence of the threshold length of the straight filaments for buckling and the g lobal properties of the filaments can be predicted. The theoretical re sults are demonstrated experimentally in the binary mixture of octylox ycyanobiphenyl with dodecyl alcohol.