Critical behavior of isotropic to smectic-A phase transition under confinement condition

Critical behavior of the isotropic to smectic-A phase transition under confinement condition is studied within Landau-de Gennes theory. The phase boundary, stability limits, and location of the critical point of the isotropic to smectic-A (I-SmA) phase transition under confinement condition are discussed extensively. The influence of quenched disorder on the I-SmA phase transition is discussed followed by the topological phase diagrams. The theoretical predictions satisfactorily explain the nature of the I-SmA transition under confinement. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.