NANOSTRUCTURES OF BENT-CORE LIQUID CRYSTALS - TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, X-RAY AND POLARIZING MICROSCOPY STUDIES
Institution: | Kent State University |
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Department: | College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Chemical Physics |
Degree: | PhD |
Year: | 2015 |
Keywords: | Physics |
Record ID: | 2058009 |
Full text PDF: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1427495895 |
Our goal is to characterize the nano-structures of various bent core liquid crystal phases by combining transmission electron microscopy with small angle X-ray scattering measurements. Much of this research was made possible by the recent acquisition of a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with cryogenic (cryo-TEM), low-dose imaging and freeze fracture sample preparation facility in the Liquid Crystal Institute, supported by the Ohio Research Scholars Program Research Cluster on Surfaces in Advanced Materials. The low-dose cryo-TEM is desired to observe beam-sensitive specimens at high resolution, which makes it possible to study thermotropic liquid crystal materials.