Fig. 3: Microstructural characterization of SS-CLCE.

a In-situ variable-temperature 2D-WAXS patterns. We set the corresponding parameters and observed changes in both the wide-angle (top) and small-angle (bottom) regions. b 1D-radial integration curves of the wide-angle region and c their locally magnified views (in the gray square), the red dashed line denotes the peak position. d 1D-radial integration curves of the small-angle region. The inset shows a magnified view of the effective data in the small-angle region. e Schematic diagram of the LC polydomain structure. f 2D-SAXS patterns before (top) and after (bottom) stretching. The arrows indicate the stretching direction. g 1D-radial integration curves (top) and 1D-azimuthal integration curves (bottom) under different strain (ε) conditions. h Schematic diagrams of the molecular alignments in the SmC phase, the red squares represent the layers before and after stretching. i Schematic diagram of the molecular arrangement and dimensions. It is noted that the omitted spacer chains enhance the clarity of the diagram, but they also participate in the formation of the ordered structure.