Self-diffusion of nematic liquid crystals in the isotropic phase near the nematic-isotropic transition

Self-diffusion coefficients of two nematic-liquid crystals, PAA and MBBA, were measured by the spin-echo technique over a temperature-range ≈30°C above the nematic-isotropic transition. For both systems, activation energies derived from such measurements agree fairly well those determined earlier from viscosity data.