EXAFS studies of cobalt oxides and oxide glasses

The exafs of Co²⁺ has been studied in rare earth cobaltites and in sulphate and borate glasses. It has been found that the environment of Co²⁺ ions is very similar in these cases. It appears feasible to study local structures in glasses using probe ion exafs. Communication No. 151 from the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit.     

Reversible Full‐Range Color Control of a Cholesteric Liquid‐Crystalline Film by using a Molecular Motor

By using a chiral molecular motor as a dopant in a cholesteric liquid‐crystalline film, fully reversible control of the reflection color of this film across the entire visible spectrum is possible. The large difference in helical twisting power between the two isomeric forms of the motor allows efficient light‐ and heat‐induced switching of the helicity of the cholesteric liquid‐crystal superstructure.     

MECHANICAL PERTURBATION INDUCED MOLECULAR ALIGNMENTS IN A SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYACETYLENE, POLY{10-[4-(4''-METHOXYPHENOXY-CARBOML)PHENOXYCARBONYL]-1-DECYNE}*

A new liquid crystalline polyacetylene containing a phenyl benzoate mesogen (5) is synthesized,whose mesomorphic properties are found to be easily "tunab1e" by simple mechanical perturbation. Thepolymerization of 10- [ 4 - (4' -methoxyphenoxycarbonyl )phenoxycarbonyl] - 1 -decyne (4 ) in itiated by theWCl_6-Ph_4Sn/dioxane complex yields polymer 5 with a M_w of 28400. The molecular structure of 5 ischaracterized by NMR, IR, and UV spectroscopy and its liquid crystalline behavior is investigated by DSC,POM, and XRD analysis. Upon mechanical perturbation, 5 exhibits unusual agitation-induced high-strengthdisclinations, shear-induced inversion walls, and solidification-induced banded textures. Such phenomenahave been observed in the main-chain liquid crystalline polymers with rigid backbones, but have seldom beenreported for the side-chain liquid crystalline polymers with flexible backbones, suggesting that the rigidpolyacetylene backbone of 5 plays a constructive role in inducing the novel molecular alignments.     

Electric-field-driven deracemization.

We demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, that it is possible to use an electric field to drive the formation of macroscopic chiral (conglomerate) domains from an initially homogeneous fluid racemate. Field-induced segregation is exhibited in a fluid smectic liquid-crystal phase of a racemic mesogen, wherein enantiomerically-enriched domains are readily identifiable by their chiral electro-optical response. The sharp field-generated boundaries that form between opposite-handed domains broaden by diffusion in the absence of field, but reform rapidly if the field is switched on again, providing unambiguous evidence for the field-driven physical separation of enantiomers. A mean-field model successfully describes the steady-state and the dynamic evolution of conglomerate formation.     

LB膜诱导Ba(NO3)2晶体取向生长

In this work, Ba(NO₃)₂ crystals with single crystal face were induced by using the the method of bio-mimetic mineralization and double LB films of behenic acid (BA) as the template. The crystals were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The crystals were observed in regular square shape with uniform size about 5～8 μm by SEM, and they were found by XRD to grow along the (111) plane. From these experiments, we can conclude that the good selection of the (111) crystal face of Ba(NO₃)₂ is due to the electrostatic interactions , the match between this crystal face and the definite lattice structure of the LB films.     

Helical unwinding in polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals

We demonstrate that ferroelectric liquid crystals dispersed in a polymer matrix can form uniaxially aligned elliptical droplets. The alignment is controlled by mechanical shear during the polymerization of a UV-curable adhesive. The possibility of prealignment makes polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals suitable for application in flexible electro-optical displays. In contrast to surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal displays, the electro-optical effect in our system is due to the deformed-helix ferroelectric (DHF) effect.     

Synthesis and Mesogenic Properties of Liquid Crystals Containing Terminal Cyclohexylmethanol,Cyclopentylmethanol, Cyclobutylmethanol and Cyclopropylmethanol Moiety

Four series of compounds 11?50 containing terminal alicyclic rings such as cyclohexylmethyl, cyclopentylmethyl, cyclobutylmethyl, and cyclopropylmethyl rings were synthesized and their liquid crystal behavior studied. The ring size and the length of flexible alkoxy chain influence the phase formation in different ways. While the smaller ring and the shorter alkoxy chain tend to favor the formation of the N phase, the larger ring and the longer alkoxy chain tend to favor the formation of the SmC phase. All the compounds except 11 and 21 exhibit SmA phases. The widest temperature range of the N, SmA, and SmC phases are found in the compounds 41 , 46 , and 20 , respectively, which are 75 °C for 41 , 115 °C for 46 , and 100 °C for 20 .     

Chromatographic study of the thermodynamics of solutions of hydrocarbons in liquid crystal solvents. Evidence for order disturbance by the solutes

Gas-chromatographic experiments were carried out in various phases of the solvents 4-acetoxy-N-[4-methoxy-benzylidene]-aniline, dibutoxyazoxybenzene, lithium stearate, dihexoxyazoxybenzene, and diheptoxyazoxybenzene. The solutes were linear, branched and cyclic alkanes, and substituted benzenes. Excess enthalpies, entropies, and free entropies were calculated from net retention volumes. In the nematic liquid crystalline phases the effect of order disturbance was significant in and but it was, by enthalpy-entropy compensation, not demonstrable in . Differences in flexibility and degree of expansion of the solutes did not result in significantly different values of the excess quantities.     

A simple scheme for calculating the energy levels and the spectra of molecular crystals

A simple matrix method for calculating the vibrational and electron energy levels and spectra in molecular crystals is proposed.     

Spectrum analysis of U-doped LaBr3 single crystals. Part 1: crystal-field analysis

Single crystals of U³⁺:LaBr₃ were grown by the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. High-resolution polarized absorption spectra of the crystals were recorded at 4.2 K in the 4000-50,000 cm⁻¹ range. Sixty-four experimental crystal-field energy levels of the U³⁺ ion were fitted to a semiempirical Hamiltonian employing free-ion, one-electron crystal-field as well as two-particle correlation crystal-field (CCF) operators with an r.m.s. deviation of 28 cm⁻¹. The performed analysis of the spectra enabled the determination of crystal-field parameters and assignment of the observed 5f³→5f³ transitions. The effects of selected CCF operators on the splitting of some specific U³⁺ multiplets have been investigated and the obtained values of Hamiltonian parameters are discussed and compared with those reported in previous analyses.