Experimental assessment of quasi-binary picture of thermotropics: induced smectic A phase in 7CB-n-heptane system

Yuuki Yamaoka; Yuki Taniguchi; Syuma Yasuzuka; Yasuhisa Yamamura; Kazuya Saito

doi:10.1063/1.3615491

Experimental assessment of quasi-binary picture of thermotropics: induced smectic A phase in 7CB-n-heptane system

J Chem Phys. 2011 Jul 28;135(4):044705. doi: 10.1063/1.3615491.

Authors

Yuuki Yamaoka¹, Yuki Taniguchi, Syuma Yasuzuka, Yasuhisa Yamamura, Kazuya Saito

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan.

PMID: 21806153
DOI: 10.1063/1.3615491

Abstract

Quasi-binary (QB) picture of thermotropics, which regards a neat thermotropic liquid crystal as a binary system consisting of (semi)rigid core and molten alkyl chain, was assessed experimentally for the most famous (and representative) thermotropic mesogenic series nCB. By adding n-heptane as solvent, the smectic A phase was induced in 7CB-n-heptane system. Small angle x-ray diffraction showed that the QB picture holds not only in the phase behavior but also in the structure. It is suggested that the melting of 8CB and 9CB to isotropic liquid via smectic and nematic liquid crystals can be understood as a thermotropic-lyotropic crossover.