TY - JOUR
T1 - Critical behavior at the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition in a bent-core liquid crystal
AU - Wiant, D.
AU - Stojadinovic, S.
AU - Neupane, K.
AU - Sharma, S.
AU - Fodor-Csorba, K.
AU - Jákli, A.
AU - Gleeson, J. T.
AU - Sprunt, S.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Magnetic birefringence and dynamic light scattering measurements of orientational order parameter fluctuations at the isotropic-nematic phase transition of a bent-core liquid crystal reveal a pretransitional temperature dependence consistent with the standard Landau-deGennes mean field theory. However, as follows: the transition in the bent-core compound is more weakly first order (TNI - T* 0.4 °C), the leading Landau coefficient is ∼30 times lower, the viscosity associated with nematic order fluctuations is ∼10 times higher, and the density change is ∼10 times lower, than typically observed in calamitic (rod-shaped) liquid crystals. One consistent explanation for these anomalies is an optically isotropic phase composed of microscopic complexes or "clusters" of bent-core molecules.
AB - Magnetic birefringence and dynamic light scattering measurements of orientational order parameter fluctuations at the isotropic-nematic phase transition of a bent-core liquid crystal reveal a pretransitional temperature dependence consistent with the standard Landau-deGennes mean field theory. However, as follows: the transition in the bent-core compound is more weakly first order (TNI - T* 0.4 °C), the leading Landau coefficient is ∼30 times lower, the viscosity associated with nematic order fluctuations is ∼10 times higher, and the density change is ∼10 times lower, than typically observed in calamitic (rod-shaped) liquid crystals. One consistent explanation for these anomalies is an optically isotropic phase composed of microscopic complexes or "clusters" of bent-core molecules.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevE.73.030703
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevE.73.030703
M3 - Article
C2 - 16605491
AN - SCOPUS:33645225954
SN - 1539-3755
VL - 73
JO - Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
JF - Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
IS - 3
M1 - 030703
ER -