Production and spectroscopic study of low-temperature silver complexes with mesogenic cyanobiphenyl derivatives

Metal-containing liquid-crystalline systems were obtained by co-condensation of metallic silver vapour with evaporated liquid-crystalline 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) under conditions of molecular beams. A comprehensive infra-red and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic study of Ag-5CB film samples of different component ratios at 80 K shows the existence of Ag-5CB complexes owing to interactions of Ag with the π-electrons of the CN bond of cyanobiphenyl molecules.     

Molecular organization in two-dimensional films of liquid crystalline mixtures III. Langmuir films of binary mixtures of liquid crystal materials with terminal CN o r NCS group

Langmuir films of binary mixtures of the following liquid crystal materials: 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) or 4-pentyl-4″-cyano-p-terphenyl (5CT) with 4-(trans-4'-octylcyclohexyl)isothiocyanatobenzene (8CHBT), trans-4-octyl(4′-cyanophenyl)cyclohexane (8PCH) or 4-octyl4′-isothiocyanatobiphenyl (8BT) were investigated. Surface pressure-mean molecular area isotherms were recorded at various mixture compositions. It was found that only liquid crystal materials for which the molecules have a terminal -CN group are able to form a stable monolayer at the air-water interface. Moreover, information about the miscibility or the phase separation of the two components in the mixures was obtained by using the excess area criterion and surface phase rules.     

Molecular organization in two-dimensional films of liquid I. Langmuir films of binary mixtures of liquid crystals with a crystalline mixtures terminal cyano group

The Langmuir films of two liquid crystal materials, 4-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and 4-pentyl-4"-cyano-p-terphenyl (5CT), and of their mixtures have been studied by recording surface pressure-area isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) images. The pure liquid crystals revealed very different characters of the surface pressure-area isotherms indicating different organization of the molecules and different molecular interactions in the monolayer at the water-air interface. The surface pressure-area isotherms of Langmuir films formed from 8CB/5CT mixtures give evidence for phase separation of the components over the whole range of molar fractions. Similar conclusions have been drawn on the basis of BAM image analysis.     

Molecular organization in binary mixtures of derivatives of naphthalenebicarboxylic acid and naphthoylenebenzimidazole with a liquid crystal in two-dimensional layers

Langmuir films of some dichroic dyes, namely derivatives of naphthalenebicarboxylic acid and derivatives of naphthoylenebenzimidazole, as well as of their mixtures with the liquid crystals 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and 4-pentyl-4″-cyano-p-terphenyl (5CT) were prepared. Surface pressure/mean molecular area isotherms were recorded from which some information about the alignment of molecules in a monomolecular layer at an air–water interface could be deduced. It was found that the properties of the monolayer are highly sensitive to the molecular structure of the side groups substituted on the main skeleton of the dye molecule, and to the mixture composition. Moreover, information about the miscibility or the phase separation of the two components in Langmuir films formed from dye/liquid crystal mixtures was obtained by using the excess area criterion and surface pressure rules.     

Small angle X-ray scattering study of chiral side chain liquid crystalline polymers in 5CB and 8CB solvents

Small angle X-ray scattering was used to examine the new chiral side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates (P_4M and P_11M) and their mixtures (2?wt?%) in the low molar mass nematogenics 4′-n-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) and 4′-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB). Complementary data were obtained by polarizing optical microscopy. In agreement with previous studies, the mesophases of the bulk polymers show a dependence on the aliphatic spacers linking the mesogenic units to the polymer backbone. Chiral nematic and smectic A₁ phases were observed for the polyacrylates with four (P_4M) and eleven (P_11M) methylene units as spacers, respectively. In solution with 5CB and 8CB, P_4M exhibits an injected smectic phase, whereas P_11M maintains the smectic arrangement already observed in the bulk, with swollen smectic layers. In all the mixtures, layer stability was found to depend on the liquid crystal used as solvent, as well as on the temperature. At temperatures corresponding to the nematic 5CB and 8CB, the coexistence of two mesophases was observed in the mixtures. Moreover, with the liquid crystal solvents in the isotropic phase, microstructures suspended in the solvent matrix containing the liquid crystalline polymer in the smectic arrangement were detected.     

Spectroscopic and thermodynamic studies of binary mixtures composed of nematogenic and non-nematogenic components

The effect of a non-nematic guest, tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), on the liquid-crystaline state of the host, 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), has been investigated. It was shown by absorption spectroscopy that TCNE forms a 1 : 1 charge transfer complex with 5CB in the nematic phase, similar to that in the isotropic solution. The effect of TCNE on the transition temperature was investigated by comparison with a normal guest, 2,3-dimethylbutane (DMB), which has a molecular volume comparable with that of TCNE but has no specific interaction with the host. TCNE was found to lower the transition temperature much more strikingly than DMB, suggesting the peculiar effect of complex formation. The theoretical background is given based on molecular field theory.     

Molecular hybrids of azobenzene polymer and liquid crystal molecule. A new approach for understanding the command surface system

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films consisting of the hybrid of a polymer having the azobenzene (Az) side chain and 4î-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) are prepared. Microscopic observations and spectroscopic data both indicate that the Az side chain and 5CB are homogeneously mixed at a molecular level without phase separation in the layer. This provides a satisfactory model of the command surface system. Time course accumulation of spectroscopic data for multilayered hybrid films reveals the cooperative nature of the photo-motivated molecular motions.     

Characterisation of polymerisation-induced phase separation process in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals based on hydroxyalkyl-methacrylate matrices

Hydroxyalkyl-methacrylates are very well-known hydrogel-forming biocompatible polymers. In this work, polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (LCs) based on hydroxyethyl- and hydroxypropyl-methacrylate (HEMA and HPMA) matrices are synthesised and characterised. Two different LCs from the cyano-biphenyl family (4?-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl [5CB] and 4?-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl [8CB]) are used. Polymerisation kinetics, phase transitions, and morphologies generated during the polymerisation-induced phase separation process are analysed. Phase separation is observed at very low conversions, where a polymer-rich phase is initially segregated and this produces an increase in the low-conversion polymerisation rate (ascribed to the auto-acceleration effect of free-radical polymerisations in the polymer-rich phase). The liquid crystalline transition temperature decreases as the concentration of LC decreases, indicating that this phase is impurified. The liquid crystal 8CB is found to be less miscible than 5CB with the polymer matrices, so the LC-rich phase for 5CB is more impurified and its total volume in the material is smaller.     

Properties of liquid crystal molecules from first principles computer simulation

We explore the valence charge distribution, equilibrium geometry and harmonic force fields of the 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) molecule and the benzene (C6H6) molecule, which provides an important mesogenic fragment, using first principles techniques adapted from large scale electronic structure calculations of periodic solids. We present for the first time accurate structural data for the isolated 5CB molecule and observe subtle broken symmetries relative to the constituent mesogenic fragments. The dynamic properties of these molecules are determined by diagonalization of dynamical matrices, the elements of which are obtained directly from quantum mechanical Hellmann-Feynman forces. Results for both molecules are in excellent agreement with available spectroscopic data, and for benzene are comparable to the most accurate quantum chemistry calculations to date. For 5CB we also present values for the molecular dipole and quadrupole moments.     

Temperature-driven luminescence switching of europium(III) in a glass dispersed liquid crystal film

Glass dispersed liquid crystal films doped with the tris(β-diketonato)europium(III) complex [Eu(dbm)₃(gly)] (Hdbm=dibenzoylmethane, gly=1,2-dimethoxyethane) were prepared. The liquid crystal host was 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB); a mixed silica–titania glass with a refractive index close to that of 5 CB was chosen as the glass matrix. The photoluminescence intensity was measured as a function of temperature. A strong intensity change was observed at the nematic-to-isotropic transition.     

Strain induced homeotropic alignment in the smecticA phase of liquid crystals

We present a method to align liquid crystal (LC) samples in their SmecticA phase, useful to obtain permanent homeotropic single domains even in compounds where the nematic phase is absent. It is based on the application of a strain field, within the sample volume, which tends to align the molecules all towards a common direction. The study was carried out in samples of 4-decyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (10CB), 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and n-hexyl-4′-n-pentyloxy biphenyl-4-carboxylate (65OBC) LCs, and the alignment efficiency was monitored by polarisation microscopy observations and by thermal diffusivity measurements.     

Effects of surface chemical properties of activated carbon modified by amino-fluorination for electric double-layer capacitor

We report the synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles with an internal structure forming a gel-like matrix. These nanoparticles are composed of low molecular weight liquid crystal (LC) 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) encapsulated in an LC-based polymer network. Using nanoscopic mechanical analysis, we demonstrate the ability to independently tune the shape anisotropy and stiffness by varying, respectively, the 5CB concentration and the extent of the polymer cross-linking. Based on these data, a model is introduced to account for the effect of the polymer network on the mechanical properties, thus providing novel insight into the nanomechanics of these soft particles.     

The nematic-isotropic two phase region in mixtures of quasi-spherical solutes in alkylcyanobiphenyls: An E.S.R. study using tempone as probe

The transitional behaviour of binary mixtures, each containing a non-mesomorphic quasi-spherical solute at a low mole fraction in a nematogenic solvent, has been investigated by E.S.R. spectroscopy using 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl-1-oxy (tempone) as a spin probe. This approach makes use of the smaller coupling constant obtained for the spin probe in the orientationally ordered nematic phase relative to that obtained in the isotropic phase. The solutes included Et₄C (tetraethylmethane) and R ₄Sn (R = C^b2bH₅, n-C_{3 H 7} and nC_b4H₉). The solvents were 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) 4-n-hexyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (6CB) and 4-n-heptyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (7CB). This fast approach compares favourably with other studies. In addition it provides the tempone spectral parameter, f, which is a relative measure of the fraction of the nematic phase at different temperatures within the two phase region.     

Dielectric studies of liquid crystals under high pressure III. Low frequency relaxation process in 4-(trans-4′-n-hexylcyclohexyl)isothiocyanato benzene

Abstract

Dielectric studies of 4-(trans-4′-n-hexylcyclohexyl) isothiocyanatobenzene (6CHBT) were performed in the pressure range 0·1–150 MPa, the frequency range 1 kHz–13 MHz and the temperature range 295–325 K. The temperature and pressure dependencies of the static permittivity ?_0∥ and of the relaxation time τ_∥ are analysed and compared with the analogous data obtained recently for 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) (Parts I and II of this series). Marked differences in the dielectric properties of the nematic phases of the two substances are observed. They are interpreted as a result of varying degrees of molecular association in particular compounds. It is concluded that in the nematic phase of 6CHBT dipole–dipole correlations do not exist or are very weak, whereas for 5CB they are easily broken by a relatively low pressure.     

Intermolecular interactions and the structure of near-surface layers in heterogeneous two-component systems based on nanocystallites of titanium dioxide

This contribution provides the theoretical background for the structure-determining role of hydrogen bonding in the formation of a near-surface layer of titania nanocrystallites, previously revealed by the authors in the investigation of IR experimental spectra of two-component solid mixtures of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide with benzophenone or 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl. DFT calculations (B3LYP) in 6-31+G(d) basis set is used to simulate the structure and IR spectra of free molecules of water, 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl, benzophenone and their H-complexes formed in the near-surface layers of titania nanocrystallites due to presence of water adsorbed on their surfaces. Using the results of simulation and analysis of IR spectrum bands corresponding to stretching vibrations of polar bonds O-H, C=O, C≡N, the formation mechanism of near-surface layers of titania nanocrystallites in the considered heterogeneous two-component systems is theoretically substantiated: they are formed by hydrogen-bonded complexes involving components of the mixture and water.     

Orientation of liquid crystalline 5CB under an external electric field

The orientation characteristics of pre-aligned liquid crystalline 5CB (4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl) in a germanium cell with unidirectional rubbed polyimide-coated surfaces have been investigated. Orientation of 5CB molecules near the polyimide surface and those representing average properties of the system (i.e., the bulk) are compared. The orientation of the bulk is monitored by transmission Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy while that of the molecules next to the surface is observed via attenuated total reflection (ATR) FT-IR spectroscopy. There are significant differences in orientation characteristics between the two groups of molecules. For molecules near the polyimide surface, there is an observable difference in orientation of the soft and hard segments of the liquid crystalline. Moreover, they show depth dependent orientation.     

Alignment of liquid crystal and dichroic dye molecules in mixed Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

A study of dichroic dye-liquid crystal mixtures (guest-host systems) in monolayers formed at a gas-liquid interface (Langmuir films) and at a solid surface (Langmuir-Blodgett films) has been made. As a host 4- n -octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) or 4- n -pentyl-4″-cyano- p -terphenyl (5CT) were chosen, while three dichroic azo dyes with various molecular structures were used as guest species. The dyes were added to the liquid crystal matrices at a concentration corresponding to the whole range of molar fractions and the surface pressure-mean molecular area isotherms for Langmuir films were recorded. On the basis of the isotherms, conclusions about the molecular organization and the miscibility of the components in the ultrathin films were drawn. The Langmuir films were transferred onto the quartz plates at surface pressures below the collapse point. The polarized absorption spectra of the Langmuir-Blodgett films were recorded and information about the alignment and intermolecular interactions in the mixtures of the non-amphiphilic dichroic dyes and the liquid crystals with strongly polar terminal groups were obtained.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance study of self-diffusion in liquid crystals

A simple and accurate pulsed-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance technique for measuring coefficients of self-diffusion in liquid crystals is described. It is based on exciting sharp response signals with long weak pulses. The method uses an extremely weak radio-frequency field, which eliminates the problem of radio-frequency heating of the sample. The temperature dependencies of coefficients of self-diffusion for two liquid crystals, 5CB (4-pentyl-4(')-cyanobiphenyl) and EBBA (N-(4-ethoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline), are presented.     

Large scale molecular dynamics simulations of a 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystalline model in the bulk and as a droplet

Molecular dynamics simulations for 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) with as many as 944 molecules are reported. The order-N fast multipole method (FMM) is used to treat the long-range interactions. For a droplet of 944 molecules, the simulation shows a correlation between the droplet shape and the nematic order and a strong surface effect; little nematic order is found in a 118 molecule droplet. Simulations of the bulk system result in similar order parameters for both the 118 and 944 molecular ensembles. Although the nematic–isotropic transition was not observed at temperatures as high as 400 K using the CHARMM force field, a modification of the force field using ab initio determined partial atomic charges lowers the order parameters.     

Dielectric studies of liquid crystals under high pressure II. Low frequency relaxation process in 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl in relation to theories of the nematic state

Abstract

The results of high pressure dielectric studies of 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) are analysed in terms of theories of the nematic state. The retardation factor g∥ = τ∥/τ₀ and the effective, single-particle potential of mean torque were calculated at the nematic–isotropic transition temperature T _NI and along the isothermal, isobaric and isochoric paths within the nematic phase of 5CB. The potential of mean torque is compared with the order parameter known for the same conditions. The values of parameter γ relating the potential to the volume is discussed.