Formation of smectic phases in binary liquid crystal mixtures with a huge length ratio

• Nadia Kapernaum,
• Friederike Knecht,
• C. Scott Hartley,
• Jeffrey C. Roberts,
• Robert P. Lemieux and
• Frank Giesselmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 1118–1125, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.124

• phase of the longer mesogen was identified as a smectic F phase. Keywords: bidispersity; liquid crystals; phase diagrams; smectic phases; smectic F phase; structure and dynamics; Introduction The mixing of different liquid crystals is a common technique to tailor their properties for specific

Molecular length distribution and the formation of smectic phases

• Nadia Kapernaum,
• C. Scott Hartley,
• Jeffrey C. Roberts,
• Robert P. Lemieux and
• Frank Giesselmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2009, 5, No. 65, doi:10.3762/bjoc.5.65

• by extensive out-of-layer fluctuations. Keywords: bidispersity; liquid crystals; phase diagrams; smectic phases; structure and dynamics; Introduction The classical (and highly successful) approach to systematically tailor liquid crystal materials for specific applications is the formulation of

• describe these results correctly. Furthermore there is no theoretical work on the influence of bidispersity on the balance between SmA and SmC. In the existing theoretical approaches different models for the ordering in smectic A phases of molecules of substantially differing lengths are presented (Figure

• most realistic model to describe the structure of bidisperse smectics. This also explains the strong influence of bidispersity on the balance between SmA and SmC. Since SmA phases might tolerate out-of-layer fluctuations much more easily, a stabilization of SmA at the expense of the SmC phase might