Surface Order Parameter and Polar Anchoring Energy in Nematic Liquid Crystals

The trends of temperature dependence of the surface order parameter and of the anchoring strength coefficient are theoretically evaluated in the Landau-de Gennes phenomenological theory for nematic liquid crystals. The cases of planar, homeotropic and tilted alignment at a planar limiting surface are considered. It is shown that the cases with surface order parameter greater than the bulk one or smaller than this can occur in function of the phenomenological coefficients in the surface free energy expression. The anchoring strength coefficient, W, diminishes when temperature approaches the nematic-isotropic point, after passing through a maximum in most of cases. The possibility of a non-zero anchoring strength at temperatures above the transition temperature is revealed. The obtained trends of W(T) describe well a large variety of experimental results from literature.     

Diamagnetic Anisotropy Measurements of Nematic Liquid Crystals

Electro-optic effect of liquid crystals in the presence of a magnetic field was investigated. Two independent techniques: magnetic field dependent threshold voltage and magnetic field-assisted relaxation time, were used to evaluate the diamagnetic anisotropy for three nematic liquid crystals: BDH-E7, RO-TN-103 and ZLI-1132. Correlation between the diamagnetic anisotropy and the molecular structures was obtained. This information is particularly important for synthesizing liquid crystal components with desired diamagnetic anisotropy.     

The Electro-Optical Properties of Doping Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Liquids in Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystals

In this paper, doping liquid materials to enhance the electro-optical (EO) properties of twisted nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) was presented. Two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) liquids, toluene and 1-methylnaphthalene, were chosen as dopants in order to lower the driving voltage and response time of the NLCs. We find that the main reason of this phenomenon is due to a large amount of reduction in the rotational viscosity of PAH liquids doped NLCs. Without the drawbacks of aggregation that the solid nanoparticles could have, the method of doping liquids provides a more reliable choice for applications in various LC display systems.     

Observation of Beam Self-Induced Transition from Positive to Negative Optical Refraction in Nematic Liquid Crystals

We demonstrate that light refraction at a straight interface between an isotropic dielectric and a nematic liquid crystal can change from positive to negative depending on power. The phenomenon relies on the reorientational response and the all-optical rotation of the optic axis, causing in turn variations in walk-off and beam self-steering.     

Laser Induced Reorientation of Nematic Liquid Crystals

A significant increase of the divergence and appearance of a fringe system has been observed by illuminating of MBBA (p-n-methoxybenzilidene-p-butylaniline) and OCB (octyl-cyano-biphenyl) nematic liquid crystalline samples with a collimated beam of an argon ion laser. The dependence of this effect on laser power, beam polarization, and angle of incidence has been studied in homeopolar and planar sandwich-like cells of 50-150 μm thickness, in the nematic phase. At a homeopolar cell of MBBA (150 μm thickness), at normal incidence a threshold laser power of 45 m W was found. The phenomena can be explained as deformation of the orientation by the Fredericks effect due to light fields. The observations are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions including an estimation of the laser power threshold.     

Photo Controlled Surfaces in Rheology of Liquid Crystals

The modified method for shear viscosity measurements of nematic liquid crystals (NLC) oriented by surfaces is described. The main modification is concerned with usage of photoalignment technique for preparation of mono-domain samples with an orientation controlled by a polarization state of the secondary light irradiation. It provides the azimuthal rotation of a sample at any desirable angle. Thus different geometries of shear flows can be realized after filling the measuring cell with a liquid crystal. The method is experimentally approved at investigation of Poiseuille decay flows of 4-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) through the channels with a rectangular cross section. The proposed construction of the cell with different surface treatment provides measurements of the three principal viscosities coefficients (Miesowicz’ viscosities) with additional usage of electric field. A small amount (less than 0.2 ml) of a liquid crystal needed for measurements and simple measuring procedure makes the method to be useful for rheological studies of newly synthesised liquid crystal materials.     

A Theoretical Study of Molecular Ordering of Some Smectic Liquid Crystals

Abstract

A theoretical investigation of molecular ordering of smectic C liquuid crystals C₈H₁₇O-C₆H₄-C₆H ₄-COO-C₆H₄-OC₈H₁₇ { A }, C₉H₁₉O-C₆H₄-COO- C₆H₄-COO-C₆H₄-NO₂ { B } and its binary mixtures { A+B } has been carried out by the method based on the Rayleigth-Schrodinger perturbation theory. The mutual arrangement of two molecules corresponding to the minimum of the total interaction energy between them U_pair has been established. The curves of the dependence of U_pair and its various contributions on displacement of molecules from each other along the molecular long X-axis and angle θ between molecules' long axes has been also computed in the minimum point vicinity. The obtained results make it possible to determine the peculiarities of the structural organization of molecules, as well as to construct a model of the structure of A and B compounds in different phases taking into account the most probable packing of molecules.     

Nonlocal Continuum Theory of Liquid Crystals

A nonlocal continuum theory of liquid crystals is constructed to explain and predict the physical behavior of liquid crystals under long range intermolecular forces Balance laws consist of conservation of mass and mocroinertia, balance of momenta and energy. Constitutive equations are given for the equibilibirium and non-equilibirium parts of the stress, couple strees, free energy, entropy an nonlocal body force and couple. Thermodynamic restrinctions and material frame-indifference are studied. The theory is valid for liquid crystals having arbitrary shapes (inertia), Passage is made to the thread-like molecuels and to local theory. Applications are considered to two-dimensional problmes, steady, plane shear flows and disperison of twist waves.     

Highly Birefringent Nematic Liquid Crystals for Reflective STN Applications

Abstract

An important parameter of any LCD containing portable electronic device is a low power requirement. The reflective STN display mode offers a moderate to high information content display with low power consumption. One method to realise colour in this mode is to use a large retardation (dΔn) value in the cell. For a cell gap of 6 μm, and a retardation of ?1.5, a birefringence (Δn) of greater than +0.2 is necessary. To achieve such a value in an STN LC mixture, materials with broad nematic range, good solubility and a Δn value of <+0.25 are required.

A study of the trans-cyclohexyldifluorophenyltolane core structure was made and a large number of dialkyl, alkenyl-alkyl and alkoxy materials were synthesised and characterised. These materials possess low to moderate melting points, broad purely nematic mesophases, a high Δn and very good solubility in nematic LC hosts. They are suitable materials for inclusion in mixtures for colour reflective STN displays.     

Molecular Statistical Theory of the Frank Elastic Constants of Liquid Crystals

Abstract

The Frank elastic constants K ₁, K ₂, K ₃ are calculated in the mean field approximation by assuming that the intermolecular force is the sum of hard rod repulsion (length L and width D) and Maier-Saupe's type attraction. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) the inequlaities K ₃? K ₁ > K ₂ necessarily hold. (2) All the K'_is are nearly proportional to the square of the orientational order parameter S. (3) In thermotropic system, K ₁/S ², K ₁/K and K ₂/K(K: mean elastic constant) increase slowly and K _3/K, K ₃/K ₁ decreases with L/D, whereas K/kT _c is nearly constant for L/D = 3 ～ 5. These tendecies agree fairly well with the observations on liquid crystals with almost rigid structure. (4) In the lyotorpic system in which L/D ? 1, K ₁/3 = K ₂ = cLk _T/3π D ² and k ₁/K ₃ = 4D/5cL are obtained (c: packing fraction). The estimate for PBLG solution nearly agrees with recent experimental data.     

Landau Theory of Biaxial Nematic Liquid Crystals

The orientational order of molecules in a liquid crystal is traditionally described by spatial or temporal averages of functions that are quadratic in the direction cosines of molecular axes with respect to laboratory fixed axes. The free energy describing the nematic phase must be independent of the choice of coordinate systems and therefore rotationally invariant with respect to both laboratory and molecular frames. A Landau theory for biaxial and uniaxial nematics based on six fundamental invariants is developed which is properly rotationally invariant. Four possible nematic phases, two uniaxial and two biaxial, result. NMR experiments should be able to identify which of these actually occur in specific materials.     

Intramolecular Photochemistry and Energy Transfer in Molecular Crystals of [2.2] metacyclophane-1-ene and 1,2-diphenylcyclopentene

The intramolecular photocyclisation reactions of the stilbene analogues [2.2] metacyclophane-1-ene (MCPE) and 1,2-diphenylcyclopentene (DPCP) have been investigated in the solid state. In MCPE there is little or no energy transfer through the crystal prior to photoreaction, which occurs in regions of otherwise perfect crystal. This may in large part be due to a slow energy transfer rate because excited molecules relax to a distorted state which is only weakly coupled to its neighbours. In DPCP in the solid state photocyclisation will not occur, presumably for steric reasons. Energy transfer in DPCP is measurably slower than that expected for a rigid lattice.     

Molecular Orientational Order in Reentrant Nematic Liquid Crystals

The predictions of orientational order parameter in reentrant nematic liquid crystals using a Landau-type theory are compared with those from the McMillan-type molecular theory. Recent experimental results from birefringence, NMR and ESR studies are discussed.     

Nematic Defects and Colloids as Photonic Elements

Birefringent structures in liquid crystalline fluids, such as colloidal assemblies or topological defects, show high potential for use as photonic elements. Here, we present a brief overview of two photonic phenomena originating from coupling light fields with complex birefringent nematic profiles: (i) the generation of vector laser beams from simple Gaussian beams by propagating light along nematic discliantions, and (ii) tunable photonic crystals from blue phase colloidal crystals conditioned by the different underlying symmetries of the particle lattice and the blue phase birefringence. The polarization profile of initially simple linearly polarized Gaussian beams is shown to change into a defect structure at distinct distances travelled along the disclination with the topological invariant (winding number) of the light field and nematic director distinctly coupled. Upon pulsed laser illumination, the nematic discliantions are also shown to split the light pulse into multiple intensity regions. Blue phase I face centred cubic colloidal crystals are shown as examples of tunable photonic crystals, where local band-baps can open by differently combining the symmetries of the two components, e.g. by changing the particle size. The spatial profiles of selected photonic bands in the blue phase colloidal crystals are shown, finding the particles and blue phase double twist cylinders as possible carriers of high-light-intensity regions.     

Nonlinear Optics of Nematic and Blue Phase Liquid Crystals

We present a critical reexamination of individual electronic and collective optical nonlinearities of nematic liquid crystals (NLC) in the context of all-optical transmission switching of femtoseconds – CW lasers, and report recent observations of similar optical nonlinearities in Blue-phase liquid crystals (BPLC) and their utilization in feasibility demonstrations of polarization-free nonlinear grating diffraction and transmission switching of CW as well as pulsed lasers.     

Molecular Dynamics Study of the Nematic Liquid Crystals

Since nematic liquid crystals have found a wide use for solving a number of practical problems, the theoretical prediction of thermodynamic and transport properties of liquid crystal systems, as well as an explanation of the structure and dynamic characteristics on the basis of reasonable molecular models have become a point of great importance. The modern molecular- statistical theories, e.g. Maier-Saupe theory and its modifications, use rough approximations (mean field approximations for example) and therefore may lead to wrong conclusions.     

Detection of Photoemission of Electrons into Anthracene Crystals by Studying Recom ination Radiation

Evidence for photoemission of electrons from a calcium contact into anthracene crystals is presented. It is based on the observation of recombination radiation resulting from mutual annihilation of photoinjected electrons with holes which are supplied by an ohmic counter-electrode. The method avoids spurious effect's due to optical release of trapped electrons. The problem of photoemission of electrons from alkali-metals into anthracene crystals is discussed.     

The Synthesis of Fluorine Containing Phenyl Benzoates and Their Properties as Liquid Crystals

A new series of fluorine containing phenyl benzoates has been synthesized and the transition temperatures of these compounds have been determined. A series of 4-trifluoromethylphe 4nyl 4-n-alkybenzoates showed no liquid crystalline behaviour, but the 4-trifluoromethylphenyl 4-n-alkoxybenzoates series, with six carbons or more in alkoxy chain, was mesomorphic. The 4-cyanophenyl 4-perfluoroalkylbenzoates showed smectic liquid crystalline properties.     

Liquid Crystal Channel Waveguides: A Monte Carlo Investigation of the Ordering

We present detailed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of a nematic cell with homeotropic boundary conditions at the four confining surfaces. The simulations are based on the Lebwohl-Lasher lattice spin model with boundary conditions chosen to mimic the cell anchoring. We have investigated the model using a standard Metropolis Monte Carlo method to study the optical transmission and the ordering through the cell.