The nematic-isotropic two phase region in mixtures of quasi-spherical solutes in alkylcyanobiphenyls: An E.S.R. study using tempone as probe

The transitional behaviour of binary mixtures, each containing a non-mesomorphic quasi-spherical solute at a low mole fraction in a nematogenic solvent, has been investigated by E.S.R. spectroscopy using 4-oxo-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl-1-oxy (tempone) as a spin probe. This approach makes use of the smaller coupling constant obtained for the spin probe in the orientationally ordered nematic phase relative to that obtained in the isotropic phase. The solutes included Et₄C (tetraethylmethane) and R₄Sn (R = C^b2bH₅, n-C_3H7 and nC_b4H₉). The solvents were 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) 4-n-hexyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (6CB) and 4-n-heptyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (7CB). This fast approach compares favourably with other studies. In addition it provides the tempone spectral parameter, f, which is a relative measure of the fraction of the nematic phase at different temperatures within the two phase region.