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Surface-induced orientational phase transition in a lyotropic liquid crystal observed by nonlinear optical techniques
I H Bechtold1, S L Gómez, J J Bonvent
1NSRIM, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
We have observed a phase transition from a uniaxial to a biaxial nematic phase in a lyotropic liquid crystal as a function of decreasing film thickness. The results, obtained by optical second-harmonic generation experiments in a wedged cell geometry, are supported by additional Z -scan measurements and can be interpreted by wall-induced ordering effects.