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A Transient Instability in Thin Films of nCB Liquid Crystals

Stefan Schlagowski, Karin Jacobs, Stephan Herminghaus

cond-mat.softarXiv:cond-mat/0104439

Abstract

A transient surface instability is reported in thin nematic films of 5CB and 8CB, occurring near the nematic-isotropic phase transition. Although this instability leads to patterns reminiscent of spinodal dewetting, we show that it is actually based on a nucleation mechanism. Its characteristic wavelength does not depend markedly on film thickness, but strongly on the heating rate.

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