Investigating the orientational order in smectic liquid crystals.

Abstract

This thesis is composed of two projects. The first one is the investigation of a reversed phase sequence, which subsequently leads to the discovery of a novel Smectic-C liquid crystal phase. The 10OHFBBB1M7 (10OHF) compound shows a reversed phase sequence with the SmC∗ d4 phase occurring at a higher temperature than the SmC∗ phase. This phase sequence is stabilized by moderate doping of 9OTBBB1M7 (C9) or 11OTBBB1M7 (C11). To further study this unique phase sequence, the mixtures of 10OHFBBB1M7 and its homologs have been characterized by optical techniques. In order to perform the resonant X-ray diffraction experiment, we have added C9 and C11 compounds to the binary mixtures and pure 10OHF. In two of the studied mixtures, a new smectic-C∗ liquid crystal phase with six-layer periodicity has been discovered. Upon cooling, the new phase appears between the SmC∗ #11; phase having a helical structure and the SmC∗d4 phase with four-layer periodicity. The SmC∗ d6 phase shows a distorted clock structure. Three theoretical models have predicted the existence of a six-layer phase. However, our experimental findings are not consistent with the theories. The second project involves the mixtures of liquid crystals with different shapes. The role of different interactions in stabilizing the antiferroelectric smectic liquid crystal phases have been a long-standing questions in the community. By mixing the antiferroelectric smectic liquid crystal with achiral liquid crystal molecules with rod and hockey-stick shapes, distinct different behaviors are obtained. In the case of the mixtures of chiral smectic liquid crystals with rod-like molecules, all the smectic-C∗ variant phases vanish with a small amount of doping. However, the hockey-stick molecule is much less destructive compared to the rod-like molecule. This suggests that the antiferroelectric smectic liquid crystal molecules may have a shape closer to a hockey-stick rather than a rod.