Critical Behavior at the Smectic-A to Nematic Transition of Confined Liquid Crystal Mixtures

Abstract High resolution calorimetry studies at the smectic-A to nematic phase transition confined to the random interconnected voids of Millipore filters were performed. Measurements took place with pure 9CB and (9 + 10)CB mixtures, for bulk and in 0.05 μm void size Millipore samples. This work focuses on the competition between the confinement which affects the bulk-like critical behavior by weakening the coupling between the nematic and smectic order parameters, and the increased coupling that results from the addition of a smectic liquid crystal component.

[1]  Qian,et al.  Critical behavior at the smectic-A to nematic transition confined to a random network. , 1996, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[2]  Garland,et al.  Heat-capacity study of nematic-isotropic and nematic-smectic-A transitions for octylcyanobiphenyl in silica aerogels. , 1995, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[3]  Iannacchione,et al.  Specific heat dependence on orientational order at cylindrically confined liquid crystal phase transitions. , 1994, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[4]  Garland,et al.  Critical behavior at nematic-smectic-A phase transitions. , 1994, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[5]  Doane,et al.  Randomly constrained orientational order in porous glass. , 1993, Physical review letters.

[6]  Iannacchione,et al.  Calorimetric study of phase transitions in confined liquid crystals. , 1992, Physical review letters.

[7]  Garland,et al.  Phase behavior of the liquid crystal 8CB in a silica aerogel. , 1992, Physical review letters.

[8]  J. Thoen,et al.  Nematic-smectic-A tricritical point in alkylcyanobiphenyl liquid crystals , 1984 .

[9]  M. Fisher,et al.  Nonlinear scaling fields and corrections to scaling near criticality , 1983 .

[10]  G. Kasting,et al.  Critical heat capacity of octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) near the nematic-smectic A transition , 1980 .