Nematic liquid crystalline state

Liquid crystals can be in the smectic, nematic, or isotropic states. In the smectic liquid crystalline state there is a long-range order in the direction of the long axis of the molecules. These molecules may be in single- or bilayer conformation, have molecular axis normal or tilted to the plane of the layer, and frozen or melted chains. In the nematic liquid crystalline state the molecules are aligned side by side but not in specific layers. The isotropic liquid crystalline state is more or less a liquid state, but where clusters with short-range order persist (Small, 1986, pp. 49-51). 

In the nematic liquid crystalline state, groups of molecules orientate spontaneously with their long axes parallel, but they are not ordered into layers. Because the molecules have freedom of rotation about their long axis, the nematic liquid crystals are quite mobile and are readily orientated by electric or magnetic fields. Nematic liquid crystals are formed, for example, when p-azoxyanisole is heated. 

The spinning of fibers from the nematic liquid crystalline state may at least in principle result in fibrous structures exhibiting nearly perfect molecular orientation. Imperfections such as chain ends should then be randomly distributed. A large amount of work has been performed in recent years on semicommercialized LCP s and also on more research based LCP s (13-161. 

The precipitation process is assumed to lead either from the lyotropic, nematic liquid crystalline state via predpitation with water under maintenance of ordered water-polymer layers to the crystal form II, or with other solvents (and also from low polymer concentrations with water) through disordered solvent-polymer structures to crystal form I In both crystal structures the ultimate polymer crystal layers are H-bonded in the aystallographic bc-plane (100), as shown in Fig. 6.2. In crystal form 1 the second molecular chain goes through the center of the unit cell (Pn or P2j/n space group, 2 chains per unit cell, monoclinic, pseudo-orthorhombic)... 

The nematic phase of all the compounds CBn is characterized by a coherence length of about 1.4 times the elongated structure of the molecule. Based on this behaviour local associations in form of dimers with cyano-phenyl interactions were postulated. For the smectic A phase a partial bilayer arrangement of the molecules (SAd) is most likely. But there are also example for the smectic A phase with a monolayer (Sai) or a bilayer (Sa2) arrangement of the molecules as well as a commensurate structure A large number of X-ray measurements were carried out in the liquid crystalline state to clear up the structural richness and variability (see Chap. 2, this Vol. [52]). 

It is interesting that all three compounds show small angle reflections in the liquid crystalline state which indicates the formation of associates with a length of about twice the molecular length (for CCH5 17.5 A in the crystal phase I, 31.2 A in the Sb phase, and 27.2 A in the nematic phase) [73]. 

In the last few years disc-like molecules have been shown to form liquid crystals (Chandrasekhar, 1994). Typical of them are hexasubstituted esters of benzene (I) and certain porphyrin esters (II) (see below). In the liquid crystalline state, the disc-like molecules are stacked aperiodically in columns (liquid-like), the different columns packing in a two-dimensional array (crystal-like). The phases have translational periodicity in two dimensions but liquid-like disorder in the third. In addition to the columnar phase(D), the disc-like molecules also exhibit a nematic phase (Nj,). A transition between D and phases has been reported. 

Rusakov 107 108) recently proposed a simple model of a nematic network in which the chains between crosslinks are approximated by persistent threads. Orientional intermolecular interactions are taken into account using the mean field approximation and the deformation behaviour of the network is described in terms of the Gaussian statistical theory of rubber elasticity. Making use of the methods of statistical physics, the stress-strain equations of the network with its macroscopic orientation are obtained. The theory predicts a number of effects which should accompany deformation of nematic networks such as the temperature-induced orientational phase transitions. The transition is affected by the intermolecular interaction, the rigidity of macromolecules and the degree of crosslinking of the network. The transition into the liquid crystalline state is accompanied by appearence of internal stresses at constant strain or spontaneous elongation at constant force. 

A detailed insight into the freezing-in process is given by optical investigations. As described in 2.3.1.4 for nematics, 2.3.2.3 for cholesterics and 2.3.3.3 for smectics, the optical uniaxial character of the polymers in the liquid crystalline state has been proved by birefringence measurements and the state of order was calculated from these measurements. This method also provides information about the glassy state. For conventional l.c s it has been demonstrated, that the temperature dependence of... 

The linkage of conventional low molar mass Lc s to a linear polymer main chain via a flexible spacer provides a method to realize systematically the liquid crystalline state in linear polymers. Above the glass transition temperature Tg the polymer main chain can be assumed to exhibit, at least in the nematic state, an almost free motion of the chain segments, causing a tendency towards a statistical chain conformation. Due to their mobility, the polymer main chains are able to diffuse past each other, which is a condition to obtain the liquid state. Therefore such polymers can be classified as liquids of high viscosity10O). 

Scheme 26 Switching between three different liquid crystalline states after irradiation at one wavelength. Nematic liquid crystal 41 and dopant 8 were used.

The fact that the structure of a solid monomer influences its polymerization substantially now seems obvious. It is not as clear whether structural phenomena can effect polymerization if the monomer is a liquid. It has long been known that ordered regions or clusters exist in liquids, and several years ago it was assumed that in some cases these regions in liquid monomers can influence the polymerization. One of the most vivid examples—namely, polymerization in the liquid-crystalline state—was accomplished by Krentzel and co-workers (I, 2, 3). The object of their study was p-methacrylylhydroxybenzoic acid, which forms conventional crystals in the pure state and does not polymerize in the solid state. However, when mixed with alkoxybenzoic acid, it forms liquid crystals of both smectic and nematic forms. Polymerization of p-meth-acryllylhydroxybenzoic acid in various forms of liquid crystals was compared with polymerization of the same substance dissolved in dioxane and dimethylformamide (DMF). 

In order to understand the basic principles of operation of the many different kinds of LCDs being developed and/or manufactured at the present time, it is necessary to briefly describe the liquid crystalline state and then define the physical properties of direct relevance to LCDs. First, the nematic, smectic and columnar liquid crystalline states will be described briefly. However, the rest of the monograph dealing with liquid crystals will concentrate on nematic liquid crystals and their physical properties, since the vast majority of LCDs manufactured operate using mixtures of thermotropic, non-amphiphilic rodlike organic compounds in the nematic state. 

A change in rate and/or mode of propagation can be brought about by orientation of monomer molecules in the liquid crystalline state. For vinylo-leate in the smectic phase, a higher polymerization rate than in the isotropic phase was observed by Amerik and Krentsel [28]. A significant reduction in the polymerization rate of a relatively complex monomer [N-(p-acryloyl-oxybenzylidene)-p-methoxyaniline] in the nematic state was described by Perplies et al. [29], On the other hand, Paleos and Labes observed no change in the polymerization kinetics of a monomer, also of Schiff base character... 

Figure 4.15 (a) Two-dimensional, linear, flexible chain polymers in solution, (b) Random array of rods, (c) Liquid crystalline state, (d) Nematic liquid crystal. 

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