High-Resolution X-ray Study of the Smectic A-Smectic B Phase Transition and the Smectic B Phase in Butyloxybenzylidene Octylaniline

We have carried out a high resolution X-ray study of the smectic phases of Butyloxybenzylidene Octylaniline. We find that the phase previously identified as Smectic-B in this material is crystalline with in-plane order extending over at least 1.4 μm. The in-plane Bragg peaks are accompanied by anomalously strong diffuse scattering that can be described by a form 1/(q ²⊥ + γ² q ² _z). Unless the elastic constant C₄₄ is more than an order of magnitude smaller than previously reported values of ～ 10⁸ ergs/cm³ the diffuse scattering can not be due to acoustic phonons. The crystalline-B to Smectic-A melting transition is strongly first order with no observable pre-transition effects on either side of the transition.     

Biaxial Ordering of Deuterochloroform in a Smectic G Phase

The biaxial symmetry of the low temperature smectic phase of N-(4-n-hexyloxybenzylidene)-4-n-hexylaniline is demonstrated through observation of the deuterium NMR resonance of CDCl₃ probe molecules dissolved in this phase. The biaxial ordering is revealed in the observed powder spectrum as well as in a complete rotation study of a uniformly aligned sample.     

Investigation of a Twisted Phase between the Cholesteric and the Smectic A Phase

In a ternary mixture of two liquid crystals and a non-mesomorphic chiral dopant an intermediate state with an unusual texture was found between the cholesteric and the S_A phase which could be identified as a separate twisted mesophase. The reflection wavelength of this mesophase does not change with temperature whereas the transmission of unpolarized light decreases from 50 to 20%. The experimental findings point to the existence of a twisted grain boundary phase.     

Modern Classification of Electrohydrodynamic Instabilities in the Nematic Phase

Physical models for various electrohydrodynamic instabilities are reviewed and an up-to-date classification is presented.     

DCS Study of Smectic Phase Transitions

A previously described technique for measuring the order of phase transitions^l-3 using DSC has been applied to the liquid crystalline transitions found in TBBA. All of the values obtained were in agreement with those that have been measured by other techniques, and also with what would be anticipated from the nature of the transition. This study has shown that the technique is applicable to smectic-smectic transitions in liquid crystals.     

The Smectic A and the Smectic C Phase: A Coherent Molecular Picture

A molecular field theory of the smectic A and smectic C phase is presented which is based on an interaction derived in terms of the molecular polarizability, its anisotropy and the components of the static molecular quadrupole tensor. It is shown that this attractive interaction strongly depends on the anisotropy of the excluded molecular volume. The results obtained explain the stability of the A phase, the appearance of the tilt in the C phase and the A-C phase transition, without resource to adjustable parameters which indeed have no molecular significance.     

The Lyotropic Smectic Phase on the Flory Lattice

Abstract

The Flory lattice approach for rod-like molecules is extended to encompass the position-restricted (smectic-A) phase. The phase equilibria conditions are obtained from equity of relevant chemical potentials, together with minimization conditions of the Gibbs potential with respect to the system orientational (Flory disorder index, y) and positional (translational disorder index, ζ in the smectic phase) order.     

Studies on the Smectic Phase of Some Schiff's Bases With a Terminal Trifluoromethyl Group

Some terminally substituted trifluoromethylbenzylideneanilines have been synthesized with a view to investigate an unidentified smectic phase which exhibits an unusual texture as observed under the polarizing microscope. This phase was first reported by Griffin et al.² for the compound N-(4-n-decyloxybenzylidene)-4'-trifluoromethylaniline. In a comparable compound but with reversed imine linkage the nature of this smectic phase remains unchanged. Also if the terminal n-decyloxy group is replaced by an n-decyl group the nature of the smectic phase remains the same except that it is observed at a considerably lower temperature. We observe that this smectic phase has uniaxial symmetry when studied with a polarizing microscope as well as with NMR techniques; the latter showing an order parameter S = 0.8 for this phase. X-ray diffraction patterns show this phase to be crystal smectic B.     

Phase Transition Studies in Mixed Polymesomorphic Liquid Crystals with Cholesteric and Smectic A Phase

Cholesteric mesomorphism was induced in a polymesomorphic liquid crystal with nematic and smectic A phases by mixing it with a low pitch cholesteric. A variety of mixtures for a wide range of concentrations were studied. It was observed that the addition of cholesteric liquid crystal disrupts the smectic phase of the parent polymesomorphic liquid crystal. The measured valuses of ultrasound velocity and specific volume and their related parameters were found to exhibit anomalies near each of the phase transitions. The mean interaction parameter $ \bar \alpha $ was estimated for different mixtures and was found to decrease with increasing concentration of cholesteric liquid crystal in the mixture. It was observed that smectic A-cholesteric transition becomes second-order at a particular concentration in agreement with the theoretical predictions.     

Experimental Evidence for a Hyperscaling Relation at a Nematic to Smectic A Phase Transition

A hyperscaling relation v_″ + 2v_┴ = 2 – α is examined for the nematic to smectic A transition of 4-octyloxy-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB) and 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB). From the heat capacity results, 2-α is analyzed to be 1.84 ± 0.03 for 8OCB and 1.75 ± 0.02 for 8OCB. On the other hand v_″ + 2v_┴ is calculated from the results reported by X-ray experiments to be 1.87 ± 0.12 for 8OCB and 1.69 ± 0.11 for 8CB. From the above coincidences the hyperscaling relation is found to be applicable to the nematic to smectic A transition.     

A Novel Method for Study of a Smectic Phase Obtained from a Strongly-Deformed Nematic Texture

A simple method for the growth of conventional or reentrant smectic phases from strongly-deformed conventional or reentrant nematics, is proposed. It permits the formation of surface-induced and surface-governed conventional and/or reentrant smectic textures which can be studied from the scientific point of view or can be applied in the laser-addressed thermo-optic smectic liquid crystal storage displays for the creation of static figures. The simple method proposed might be applied for study of many smectics arrising either from conventional or reentrant nematic phases under cooling or heating.     

The Dielectric Anomaly Near the Transition from the Smectic A* to Smectic C* Phase and Visco-Elastic Properties of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

A pyro-electric technique is developed which allows the measurement of the dielectric response near the A*-C* phase transition in ferroelectric liquid crystals. The temperature dependence of the elastic modulus K _θ(T) corresponding to the molecular tilt in smectic layers is calculated from the experimental data. Direct pyro-electric measurements of the relaxation time for the spontaneous polarization P _s and the data on K _θ(T) allow us to calculate the temperature behaviour of the twist-viscosity γ₁(T) for the smectic C* phase. The curves γ₁(T) are compared for the smectic C* and the nematic phase of the same compound and the dependence of the twist viscosity on the molecular tilt angle in the C* phase is investigated. The results of the dielectic measurements are discussed in terms of the mean-field approximation.     

Tilt Angle Determination of a Smectic C Phase by Field-Induced Freedericksz Transition and x ray Investigations

A smectic C liquid crystal exhibiting positive dielectric anisotropy was oriented with the director parallel to the glass substrates. When an electric field was applied normal to the director direction a dielectric reorientation (Freedericksz transition) occurred. Dissolving a dichroic dye in the smectic C phase and applying an electric field, a guest host effect similar to nematic phases was observed. From the dielectric reorientation the tilt angle of the smectic C phase was determined at different temperatures. The tilt angles obtained by the electrooptical measurements agree sufficiently with the values measured by x ray investigations.     

Mossbauer Efect in the Smectic Mesophase

Recently there has been a report⁽¹⁾ on the observation of the Mossbauer effect in the smectic phase of the liquid crystal 4,4′-bis(hepty1oxy)azoxybenzene. Due to experimental difficulties, it was not possible to determine the directional anisotropy of the emitted radiation. In this note we wish to propose a qualitative prediction for this quantity.     

Observation of Intermediate Smectic A Structure at the Phase Transition Nematic-Smectic C in 4,4′-di-n-Heptyloxyazoxybenzene

Using different boundary conditions in thin film of 4,4′-di-n-heptyloxyazoxy benzene and studying the microscopic textures as well as the depolarized Rayleigh light scattering, an intermediate smectic A-like state during the nematic-smectic C phase transition was observed.     

Study of the Smectic a Nematic Transition in Octyl and Nonyl Cyanobiphenyl

A new DSC method is used to study a smectic A to nematic transition. The measurement of the height of the DSC transition peak gives the order of the transition. The smectic A to nematic transition of octyl cyanobiphenyl was found to be second order while the same transition was found to be first order for nonyl cyanobiphenyl.     

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.     

Discontinuous Dielectric Reorientation in the Smectic C Phase of 3-n-Heptyl-6-[4-n-hexyloxyphenyl]-1,2,4,5-tetrazine

In the nematic phase and smectic C phase of 3-n-Heptyl-6-[4-n-hexyloxyphenyl]- 1,2,4,5-tetrazine the Freedericksz transition was studied. In both phases the threshold voltage and the switching times were measured. In the smectic C phase two thresholds were observed which can be explained by an asymmetric chevron structure.     

Smectic F Phases in the Terephthalyidene-Bis-4-n-Alkylanilines

Recently terephthalylidene-bis-4-n-pentyl-aniline (TBPA) was reported to have two types of tilted smectic B (smectic H) phase. However, our study of this material shows that this compound has a smectic F phase and a smectic H phase, and not two H phases as previously thought.