Three-dimensional periodic complex structures in soft matter: investigation using scattering methods
1Laboratoire de Physique des Solides , Université Paris-Sud , Bat 510, Orsay , France.
Abstract:
Three-dimensional periodic complex structures are encountered in various soft matter systems such as liquid crystals, block-copolymer phases and the related nano-structured materials. Here, we review several well-defined topologies: two-dimensional hexagonal phase, three-dimensional packing of spheres, tetrahedral close packing (tcp) bi-continuous and tri-continuous cubic phases. We illustrate how small-angle X-ray scattering experiments help us to investigate these different structures and introduce the main available structural models based on both direct and inverse methods.
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