Student Thesis Seminar
"Interfacial dynamics of lamellar phases"
Hamutal Soroker-Bary
Dept. of Condensed Matter Physics, Tel Aviv University
A lamellar phase is a lyotropic
smectic A liquid crystal, composed of parallel bilayers of surfactant
separated by water. Coexistence regions between lamellar and
isotropic phases form significant parts of the phase diagrams of
surfactant solutions.
In this work we examine the dynamics of interfaces between a smectic
A, and in particular a lamellar phase, and a simple liquid or gas at
low Reynolds numbers.
Although thermotropic smectic A surface modes are governed by inertia,
we have shown that for lamellar phases, modes dominated by surface
tension and elasticity play an important role. These modes become
possible due to the slip property of lyotropic lamellar phases,
allowing relative motion of the surfactant and water layers.
Thesis Adviser: Dr. Haim Diamant
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