Interfaces and Grain Boundaries of Lamellar Phases

TL;DR

This paper investigates interfaces and grain boundaries in lamellar phases using a Landau free energy functional, revealing structural transitions consistent with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a combined analytical and numerical approach to study lamellar phase boundaries and grain boundaries, highlighting their structural transitions.

Findings

Transition from chevron to omega configurations with increasing tilt angle

Density profiles extend over multiple lamellar wavelengths

Numerical and analytical methods complement each other in analysis

Abstract

Interfaces between lamellar and disordered phases, and grain boundaries within lamellar phases, are investigated employing a simple Landau free energy functional. The former are examined using analytic, approximate methods in the weak segregation limit, leading to density profiles which can extend over many wavelengths of the lamellar phase. The latter are studied numerically and exactly. We find a change from smooth chevron configurations typical of small tilt angles to distorted omega configurations at large tilt angles in agreement with experiment.