Some Novel Nematic Liquid Crystals of Negative Dielectric Anisotropy

A number of ether and ester derivatives of 1-(trans-4-n-alkylcyclohexyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane bearing lateral substituents on the phenyl ring are reported. Several of the novel compounds exhibit enantiotropic nematic phases at room temperature. All of the liquid crystals described are of negative dielectric anisotropy (-0.5 -3.5). The effect of lateral substituents on the liquid crystal transition temperatures of these ethanes has been studied.     

In-Plane Switching of Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystals with Different Dielectric Anisotropies

The electro-optic response in planar-aligned chiral nematic liquid crystals in an electric field oriented perpendicular to the helical structure axis is studied as a function of the magnitude and sign of the dielectric anisotropy of liquid crystal in order to understand the mechanism of this electro-optic effect. The main contribution to the electro-optic response is shown to be due to the interaction of the electric field with the dielectric anisotropy. The flexoelectric effect also contributes to the electro-optic response, but its magnitude is much smaller.     

Determination of Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastic and Dielectric Properties from the Shape of a Capacitance-Voltage Curve

This paper shows how capacitance-voltage curves can be used to determine nematic liquid crystal dielectric and elastic constants and surface tilt angles. Careful analysis of the C-V curves reveals that distortion free energy theory is useful up to a V/V_c of about two. A detailed curve of tilt angle as a function of SiO deposition angle is also presented along with temperature variation in liquid crystal properties. Pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB) was used throughout the study.     

Influence of a.c. Electric Field on Infrared Absorption Spectra of Liquid Crystals and Determination of Orientational Order Parameter by Infrared Dichroism. II. Molecules with Weak Negative Dielectric Anisotropy

The influence of a.c. electric field (10 kHz) on the IR spectra of the nematic phase of six p-alkoxybenzylidene-p,n-butylanilines with weak negative dielectric anisotropy was studied and the temperature dependence of the orientational order parameter and threshold voltage have been investigated. The values of band elastic constants K₃₃ were calculated for MBBA and EBBA.     

On the Ability of Homogeneously Aligned Nematic Mesophases with a Positive Dielectric Anisotropy to Exhibit Williams Domains as a Threshold Effect

The ability of homogeneously aligned nematics with a positive dielectric anisotropy to exhibit Williams Domain as a threshold effect is numerically investigated. A simplified two-dimensional model which has, already, given satisfactory results in the negative dielectric anisotropy case is used. The frequency dependence of the threshold fields obtained for materials with small dielectric anisotropies is in satisfactory qualitative agreement with the known experiments. The frequency dependence of the threshold spatial wavenumbers is calculated. In accordance with earlier work, a positive dielectric anisotropy nematic which normally does not exhibit Williams Domains, does so under the action of a stabilizing magnetic field. This effect is confirmed and the frequency dependence of the threshold fields as well as the assoiated threshold spatial wavenumbers, for various values of the stabilizing field, are calculated. In addition, the model predicts the existence of a class of positive dielectric anisotropy nematics which do not form Williams Domains whatever the applied magnetic field is. This suggests a distinction between three classes of positive dielectric anisotropy nematics.     

The Order Parameters of Some Nematic Liquid Crystals Measured by the Resonance Raman Effect and Its Relevance to the Nematic-Isotropic Phase Transition

The second and fourth order parameters of nematic MBBA and 5CB have been determined near the nematic-isotropic transition temperatures by means of resonance Raman measurements on β-carotene dissolved as an orientational probe. The limiting behaviour of the second order parameter of MBBA near the transition point has been investigated on the basis of its fluctuation, which is deduced from the 2nd and 4th order parameter values.