Nematic liquid crystals exhibiting high birefringence

Two fluorinated isothiocyanato nematic liquid crystalline compounds, 4′-butylcyclohexyl-3, 5-difluoro-4-isothiocyanatobiphenyl and 4′-pentylcyclohexyl-3, 5-difluoro-4-isothiocynatobiphenyl are studied in detail to obtain their different physical parameters. Optical polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, density and dielectric studies have been carried out for the two samples. Both the samples were found to have high clearing temperature (>100 °C) and exhibit small enthalpy of transition. The two samples exhibit high optical birefringence (Δn > 0.2). The values of order parameters for the two samples were obtained using different approaches, namely, Vuks’, Neugebauer’s, modified Vuks’ and direct extrapolation method from birefringence data. Experimentally obtained values of order parameters have also been compared with theoretical Maier–Saupe values. The parallel and perpendicular components of dielectric permittivity values of the two compounds were also calculated and their anisotropy values were found to be small. The effect of temperature on the molecular dipole moment μ and the angle of inclination β of the dipole axis with the director have also been investigated in this work.