Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 19: Poster: Interfaces and Thin Films
CPP 19.6: Poster
Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 18:00–20:00, P2
Equilibrium geometry of three smectic liquid crystalline films — •Torsten Trittel1, Ruth Aldred2, and Ralf Stannarius1 — 1Otto-von-Guericke Universität, Institut für experimentelle Physik, 39106 Magdeburg — 2The University of Exeter, School of Physics, Exeter EX4 4QL
We spotlight the geometrical properties of Plateau borders in an arrangement of connected fluid free standing films. In our experiment, a circular Plateau border surrounds a planar smectic film and connects it with two smectic catenoids. We show that similar to soap films, the geometry can be described by a negative line tension of the circular contact region. It is obvious that the equilibrium angle between the films depends upon the liquid content in the contact region, and with increasing liquid content, deviations from Plateau's rule are observed. The results are qualitatively comparable to soap films. A possible origin of slight quantitative differences is discussed.