It was recalled that large twist-angle grain boundaries in layered structures were often described by Scherk's first surface, whereas small twist-angle grain boundaries were usually described in terms of an array of screw dislocations. It was shown here that there was no essential difference between these 2 descriptions and that, in particular, their comparative energetics depended sensitively upon the core structure of their screw dislocation topological defects.

Minimal Surfaces, Screw Dislocations and Twist Grain Boundaries. R.D.Kamien, T.C.Lubensky: Physical Review Letters, 1999, 82[14], 2892-5