Electromechanical Instability Of Polar Fluids On Functionalised Surfaces.

This thesis aims to better characterize this unexpected phenomenon, through the study of the topographical changes observed in the ferroelectric droplets upon cooling from the isotropic phase. Specifically, we are interested in studying the possible interaction between ferroelectric droplets and ferroelectric solids in case of no direct contact between the two. To this purpose, RM734 droplets were placed on glass substrates and a ferroelectric crystal was positioned at a certain distance from the droplet. Two different kinds of glass substrate were tested, in order to investigate their effect on the droplet’s behavior and on features such as droplet Area, Perimeter, and distance to the LN slab.