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Smectic order parameters via liquid crystal NMR spectroscopy: Application to a partial bilayer smectic A phase.

Authors :
Pietro, Maria
Celebre, Giorgio
Luca, Giuseppina
Zimmermann, Herbert
Cinacchi, Giorgio
Source :
European Physical Journal E -- Soft Matter. Oct2012, Vol. 35 Issue 10, p1-10. 10p.
Publication Year :
2012

Abstract

Solute molecules were dissolved in the liquid crystal 4-cyano-4′- n-octyloxybiphenyl (8OCB), known to form a partial bilayer smectic-A phase. Through measurement of solutes' and solvent's orientational order parameters via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and their analysis via a statistical thermodynamic density functional theory, values of the solvent's positional order parameters and solutes' positional-orientational distribution functions were obtained. Near to the transition to the nematic phase, the main positional order parameter of the smectic liquid crystal turned out to be comprised in the interval 0.4-0.6, though the quality of the fittings assuming the phase as nematic all across the temperature range investigated was only slightly worse. This may be ascribed to the looseness of the partial bilayer smectic structure. Solutes were found to preferentially lie in those regions where liquid crystal molecule terminal chains are located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
12928941
Volume :
35
Issue :
10
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
European Physical Journal E -- Soft Matter
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
119211431
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2012-12112-0