Nanoscale determination of smectic liquid crystal topological defects with and without confined nanoparticles

We will study topological defects in smectic liquid crystals on the scale of a single defect or of a very small number of defects, using nano-diffraction on a thin film (8CB smectic liquid crystal) made of topological defects oriented by a rubbed polymer substrate. We will also study how these structures evolve when nanoparticles are confined and organised within the cores of these defects and how the nanoparticle organization evolves as a function of liquid crystal thickness and nanoparticle concentration. We will scan in 2D, the scanning perpendicular to the oriented defects, both in GISAXS (reflection) and in TSAXS (transmission), allowing for a full reconstruction of the smectic layer distortion, topological defects determination and nanoparticle assembly orientation. Data analysis will take advantage of the methodology previously established in previous average measurements, allowing for a future automatic analysis of the nanoscale scanning.