Apparent Tricritical Behavior at a Nearly Second-Order Nematic-Isotropic Phase Transition of a Cyclic Liquid Crystalline Trimer

Authors

Ishtiaque M. Syed, Case Western Reserve University
Virgil Percec, Case Western Reserve University
Rolfe G. Petschek, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow
Charles Rosenblatt, Case Western Reserve UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-15-2002

Abstract

An investigation on the cyclic liquid crystalline trimer TPB-(c)9(3) was performed. The optical retardation and Fréedericksz techniques within a few tens of millikelvins of the superheating limit of the nearly second-order nematic isotropic phase transition were used for the investigation purpose. It was found that both the Fréedericksz bend threshold voltage and optical retardation were in good agreement with tricritical behaviour for the transition.

Keywords

phase transitions, specific heat, threshold voltage, optical retardation, nematic liquid crystals

Publication Title

Physical Review E

Rights

Copyright 2003 by the American Physical Society.

Recommended Citation

Apparent Tricritical Behavior at a Nearly Second-Order Nematic-Isotropic Phase Transition of a Cyclic Liquid Crystalline Trimer. Syed I.M., Percec V., Petschek R.G., Rosenblatt C., Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics 67:1, 117041-117044 (2003).