Abstract
Abstract Aqueous solutions of Tobacco Mosaic Virus are ideal systems for visualizing “molecular” distributions in nematic and crystalline phases by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Nematic phases of TMV in water are highly oriented with measured order parameters of 0.93. Twist deformations appear to be most common in the micrographs, confirming experimental and theoretical evidence that the twist elastic constant is smaller than either the splay or bend constants. Both edge and screw disclinations are observed in TMV nematics at molecular resolution, and their overall configurations correspond closely to those predicted by continuum theory. Disclination cores have been visualized for the first time. The edge disclination core is small, no more than a single virus length wide. The virus reorient abruptly by 90° at the core, but appear to remain in the plane of the disclination line. The screw disclination core is several virus lengths in diameter and much more disordered. The virus twist out of the pla...
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