February 2012 featured liquid crystal picture
(©Bruno Zappone)

Thin film of smectic A liquid crystal deposited on a solid substrate inducing undirectional planar anchoring, featuring a periodic lattice of focal conic defect domains. The image, obtained with an Atomic Force Microscope, shows the height modulations of the air interface, inducing normal anchoring. The nucleation and ordered self-assembly of eccentric focal conic defects partially relieves the stress induced by the incompatible boundary constraints. Lateral scale - 15 microns, height scale - 40 nm. [B. Zappone et al, Soft Matter (2012), in press]

Read more about the artist, Bruno Zappone.

Jury comment: Order and disorder harmonically together

More pictures can be found in the gallery of liquid crystal pictures of the month.