Fig. 2.

FFTEM image of CB7CB quenched from the NTB phase at T = 95 °C, with the Pt shadowing direction indicated by the magenta arrow. (A) The fracture face exhibits a 2D texture of curved, periodically arrayed stripes indicative of a bulk, fluid, layered structure of 3D focal conics domains with conic section lines, respectively, parallel to and normal to the fracture surface in B and C. The bulk layer spacing is that observed in C, where the layers are normal to the fracture plane (SI Appendix, Fig. S1). The evident tendency for the fracture plane to run normal to the layers distinguishes TB layering from smectics, where fractures are mostly between the layers (SI Appendix, Figs. S2 and S3). (Scale bar, 100 nm.)