TRANSFER OF SMECTIC FILMS TO A SOLID SUBSTRATE BY THE METHOD OF MACLENNAN

Free-standing smectic films are transferred onto a solid substrate by the method of Maclennan. When examined with an atomic force microscope , the transferred films show a large number of small holes. In order t o explain the genesis of these defects, the transfer process is analys ed both experimentally and theoretically. In particular, shapes of fre e films spanned between the flat substrate and a circular frame are ca lculated and it is shown that during the transfer process films are su bmitted to an increase of their surface area. During experimental stud ies of the transfer process, stable and unstable forms of the catenoid -shaped free films, spanned between the substrate and the circular fra me, are observed. Their existence is explained theoretically.