Nuclear magnetic resonance liquid-phase synthesis

In this chapter we will give a review of recent advances in understanding the nature of the nematic phase transition in LCEs [3-5]. In addition, this chapter explores the possibiUties of controlling the critical behaviour of the nematic transition and, thus, the type of thermomechanical response. In Sect. 1, the nature of the nematic transition will be briefly discussed for pure liquid crystals (LCs) and LCEs. Sections 2 and 3 focus on the application of two essential experimental techniques, high-resolution ac calorimetry and deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance ( H-NMR) spectroscopy, to these systems. Section 4 explains the nature of the nematic transition in LCEs as revealed by the two techniques. Section 5 is devoted to experimental studies that systematically explored the possibilities of tailoring the TM response of LCEs by a variation of the chemical composition and other parameters during the synthesis. 

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