Lasing Spectra of Dye Doped Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Under Reversible Phototuning of the Frequency

We investigate the lasing frequency phototuning in a distributed feedback (DFB) laser based on cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC). To improve the CLC planar texture quality, we use new materials such as nematic ZhK-654 and an analog of cholesteryl oleate as a twisting additive. The selective excitation of the cis-form molecules of the azoxy-nematic is carried out with the use of a combination of an interference filter with maximum transmission at 436 nm and a cut-off filter. Using the orienting substrates with SnO₂ allows us to reduce the threshold pump power by more than an order of magnitude. The proposed combination of filters for the selective excitation enables us to align the ranges of lasing wavelengths in both directions.     

Temperature-dependent Anisotropic Nano-Molecular Orientations of Liquid Crystalline Materials

In the present work, our investigation is to study the optical anisotropic properties of the binary mixture of cyano-benzilidene-p-n-octyl-oxy-aniline (CBOOA), cholesteryl nonanoate (CN), which exhibits a very interesting liquid crystalline Cho-TGB-SmC-SmA-SmB phases sequentially when the specimen cooled from its isotropic phase. These phases have been characterized by using microscopic and optical anisotropic technique. The temperature variations of optical anisotropy and electrical conductivity have been discussed. X-ray studies are supported to calculate the nano-aggregated grain size of the molecules.     

Behaviour of Ultrasonic Velocity in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

Ultrasonic velocities (V) have been determined, employing a fixed path double crystal interferometer, in three cholesteric liquid crystals, namely cholesteryl propionate, cholesteryl laurate and cholesteryl myristate in their isotropic and anisotropic phases including the region of the phase transition. The variation of specific volume (v) is also studied in the same temperature range by a special dilatometer constructed for this purpose. Anomalous behaviour of ultrasonic velocity is observed near the isotropic-cholesteric phase transition in all three compounds. In the two polymesomorphic liquid crystals, namely cholesteryl laurate and cholesteryl myristate, contrary to the ultrasonic behaviour of cholesteryl stearate, prominent velocity dips are observed at cholesteric-smectic transition temperatures. The parameters adiabatic compressibility (β_ad) and molar sound velocity (R) are estimated and they are found to exhibit sudden jumps at cholesteric-smectic and isotropic-cholesteric transitions. The thermal expansion and temperature co-efficient of compressibility are found to show abnormal increase near the phase transition indicating the existence of large-magnitude pre-transitional effects near the phase transition. A comparative study of the ultrasonic behaviour of six aliphatic esters of cholesterol has shown that the magnitude of the velocity dip observed at the isotropic-cholesteric transition increased with increase of molecular weight and only cholesteryl acetate shows deviation.     

Phase transition and thermal stability of reentrant smectic phase in mixture of liquid crystalline materials

In the present work, our investigation is to study the optical and thermal properties of the binary mixture of cholesteric and nematic compounds namely, decyloxy benzoic acid (DBA), and cholesteryl chloride (ChCl), which exhibits different liquid crystalline phases with reentrant smectic-A phase. The reentrant smectic-A phase has been observed at different concentrations and at different temperatures. The existence of reentrant smectic-A phase has been observed by optical microscopic studies. The temperature variation of optical anisotropy, X-ray and helical pitch of the cholesteric (N^*) phase has also been discussed.     

Growth Kinetics of Cholesteric Spherulites Under Electric Fields

The growth kinetics of cholesteric spherulites of cholesteryl laurate-cholesteryl caprilate mixture (50: 50% by weight) is investigated. It is show that the nucleation is bidimensional and the growth is determined by the orientational relaxation of the molecules near the interface. The same growth mechanism holds when the nucleation was followed under d.c. electric fields; in this case the growth rates were lower.

The electric field effects on growth kinetics can be explained by considering both changes in critical supersaturation and changes in some coefficients associated with dissipative effects during relaxation.     

Optical Rotatory Power of a Cholesteric Liquid Crystal for Obliquely Incident Light Using Multiple Scaling

The axis of polarization of light propagating through a cholesteric liquid crystal rotates with the angular rotation per distance traversed termed rotatory power. The rotation is due to the helical array of the molecules rather than due to the individual molecules as is found, for instance, with light being propagated through a sugar solution. The De Vries model for rotatory power of a cholesteric liquid crystal is generalized using multiple scaling theory to include light traveling at an oblique angle to the pitch axis. The resulting expression is tested experimentally using a mixture of cholesteryl oleyl carbonate and cholesteryl chloride.     

Synthesis of Sulfonated Cholesterol Derivatives—Electrical,Thermal, and Optical Properties

Poly(cholesterylacrylatesulfone) (PCHAS) and poly(cholesterylacrylatesulfone-co-1-hexene)s (PCHASHs) at different ratios are synthesized from the monomer cholesteryl acrylate. The liquid crystalline phases are observed under a hot stage fitted with a polarizing optical microscope. The polysulfone and copolysulfones are characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, DSC, and TGA techniques. From SEM (EDX) the qualitative amounts of elemental sulfur found in PCHAS and PCHASH11 are 2.90 weights (%) and 4.39 weights (%), respectively. The GPC data using THF as the solvent shows that the number average molecular weight of the PCHAS is 5268 g/mol and the molecular weights of the PCHASHs are higher than the PCHAS.     

Phase Diagram Involving the Thermal Stability of TGB and Induced Smectic Phases in Binary Mixture of Thermotropic Liquid Crystals

We report the results of our studies on the optical and thermal properties of the mixture of terephthalidene-bis-4, n-alkylaniline and cholesteryl nonanoate, which exhibits very interesting liquid crystalline mesophases such as cholesteric, twisted grain boundary, smectic-A, smectic-C^*, smectic-C, smectic-I, and smectic-G, sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic phase. These phases have been characterized by using microscopic techniques. The temperature variations of optical anisotropy, electrical conductivity, ultrasonic velocity, and molar and adiabatic compressibility have also been discussed.     

Implementation of interference in a confocal laser scanning microscope and its application for in situ observation of crystal growth processes

It is shown that interference can be implemented in the optical scheme of an Olimpus Lext-3000 laser scanning microscope. The occurring interference patterns are differently localized in space, depending on the experimental conditions. Interference from opposite crystal (volume) faces can be observed under certain conditions, which makes it possible to visualize (with a high sensitivity) defects that are invisible in polarized light and the surface relief. Misorientations and deformations in a crystal can be estimated. Our analysis allowed us to interpret the in situ observed interference pattern from growing lisozyme protein crystals and K₂Co(SO₄)₂ · 6H₂O crystals.     

Optical Rotatory Power in the Isotropic Phase of Four Cholesteryl Esters

Recent theoretical work by numerous authors has indicated that pretransitional properties of the isotropic phase are highly dependent on the chirality of the nearby ordered phase. To test this aspect of the theories, we present results on the optical rotatory power in the isotropic phase for a series of four cholesteryl esters of varying chirality. The most important finding is that the separation between the first and second order transition temperatures decreases with an increase in chirality. However, the results of a recent experiment which claimed to present evidence for strong coupling between the structural modes of the ordered phase are not substantiated by the new measurements reported here.     

Nano Molecular Self Assembly in the Formation of Induced Mesomorphism in Mixture of ChCl,DTAC, and EG

The multi-component system of cholesteryl chloride (ChCl), dodecyl trimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), and ethylene glycol (EG) exhibits very interesting liquid crystalline mesophases like cholesteric and SmA, SmC, and SmB phases sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic phase. These phases have been characterized by employing optical and X-ray studies. Pitch of the cholesteric phase has been calculated and discussed. Variation of pitch from the cholesteric phase to smectic phase is smooth and continuous. The temperature variation of optical anisotropy and electrical-conductivity has also been discussed. It has been found that wherever there is a phase transition, the value of electrical susceptibility changes appreciably.     

Liquid crystalline G phase of self assembled donor-acceptor molecules by intermolecular hydrogen bonding

The interaction with donor p-n-alkylbenzoic acid and acceptor nonyl-p-hydroxy benzoate molecules was studied. The likely association of these molecules to complexes is studied by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The textures are observed by polarizing optical microscope with corresponding transitions confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry. The molecular complexes exhibited enantiotropic crystal G phases in both heating and cooling cycles. The relevant functional groups C═O, C-O and OH in formation of molecular complexes are attributed with spectral shifts in infrared spectra and further with absorption studies. The proton NMR studies convinced the structural aspects of hydrogen bonded structure. Crystal parameters were studied with powdered X-ray diffraction. The results show that constituent molecules self organize through intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the formation of crystal G phase.     

LPE生长GaN的不同极性面的光学性质

极化效应会导致GaN基发光器件的效率降低,因此关于非极性和半极性GaN单晶的研究受到了广泛关注.为了进一步探究不同极性GaN的发光特性和杂质掺入的内在机理,本文利用钠助熔剂法侧向生长出的不同极性面的GaN单晶作为研究对象,对比了不同极性面的光学性质及杂质掺入特点,讨论了黄光带(YL)峰的起源及其影响因素.首先利用阴极荧...     

Optical Sign Determinations on Cholesteric Lyotropic Mesophases

Optical signs of type I and II micellar cholesteric lyotropic mesophases were for the first time determined. Lyomesophases were prepared from the following amphiphiles: potassium l-N-lauroyl-serinate, potassium laurate, sodium decylsulfate, cesium decylsulfate and decyl-ammonium chloride. Cholesterol was added to all mesophases in order to obtain the chevron pattern for magnetically oriented samples. The method involves the direct observation of the textures at the polarizing microscope. Using a quartz-wedge retardation plate the directions of the slow and fast light vibration components are determined. This method is simpler than the usual observation, under conoscopic illumination, of the basal interference figure which is hardly obtained in micellar lyotropic cholesteric mesophases. All type I cholesteric lyotropic mesophases here investigated exhibited a positive optical sign, whereas all type II cholesteric lyomesophases showed a negative birefringence.     

Development of Personal UV Biodosimeter Based on Vitamin D Photosynthesis

Abstract

A new approach to monitoring of vitamin D synthetic capacity of UV solar/artificial radiation is described. Nematic liquid crystal (LC) was converted into cholesteric phase by chiral dopant of 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D₃), and the effects of UV irradiation were studied using spectral and polarized observations. Significant changes in optical characteristics of the LC films depending on UV exposure were observed as a result of UV initiated photoisomerization that changed helical twisting power of dopant molecules.     

Electric-Field Enhancement of Fluorescence Intensity of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Containing Aromatic Chromophores

Fluorescence from cholesteric liquid-crystalline mixture containing cholesteryl 3-(l-pyrenyl)propanoate was measured under dc and ac electric field applied parallel to the helix axis. The excimer fluorescence of the pyrenyl chromophore increased and decreased its intensity reversibly upon turning the electric field on and off. Similar electric field effects were observed for such chromophores as tetracene, perylene, and 9,10-diphenylanthracene doped in the cholesteric mixture. The electric-field effect was observed only for fluorescence transitions which show left-handed circularly polarized fluorescence, indicating that only transitions which are polarized perpendicular to the optic axis in a quasi-nematic layer exhibit the effect. The experimental results were found to be intimately connected to the onset of the Helfrich periodic distortion of a planar structure.     

Nano segregation and thermal stability of TGB and re-entrant smectic-A phases in a ternary mixture of liquid crystalline materials

The ternary system of 4’-n-octyloxy-4-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB), 4-cyano-4’-Pentyl teraphenyl (5CT), and cholesteryl nonanoate (CN) exhibits very interesting unusual liquid crystalline phase of N^* (cholesteric), twisted grain boundary (TGB) phase, and re-entrant smectic-A (ReSmA) phases and it is obtained sequentially when the specimen is cooled from isotropic phase. These phases have been characterized by using X-ray and optical texture studies. The temperature variations of electrical conductivity have been discussed.     

Si1-xGex Mixed Crystals Grown by Pulling-Down Technique with Multi-Capillary Channels

Si_1-xGe_x mixed crystals with 5 at% Ge concentration have been grown by the pulling-down technique using a crucible with multi-capillary channels. The unique feature of the technique is that Ge solute concentration of the small molten zone is maintained constant due to the condition of no back diffusion of solute through the capillary channels, and that the diffusion-controlled solute transport causes the effective distribution coefficient to be unity. The Ge concentration was measured by the electron probe microanalysis and observed to be homogeneous along both the longitudinal and radial directions. The two-dimensional distribution on the whole cross section was also found to be uniform.     

A Binary System of a Swallow-Tailed and a Double Swallow-Tailed Compound

The geometrical anisotropy in the shape of swallow-tailed ST liquid crystalline molecules results in an extremely strong tendency of an antiparallel order in the short range. Dielectric measurements on a binary system of a ST and a double ST compound show that even at a mole fraction of 0.5 this effect can be observed. The strong deviations from the statistical distribution of the directions of the molecular long axis is caused by the asymmetric repulsive forces and the dipole-dipole interaction.