https://doi.org/10.1140/epjed/e2003-01-004-6
Solid state polymorphism of liquid crystals in confined geometries
1
Groupe de Dynamique des Phases Condensées, UMR, CNRS 5581 Université de Montpellier II, Montpellier, France
2
Laboratoire des Verres, UMR, CNRS 5587 Université de Montpellier II, Montpellier, France
Received:
1
January
2003
Published online:
5
November
2003
Solid polymorphism of 4-alkyl-4’-cyanobiphenyl (nCB) was studied so far as a function of thermal history. In this paper we show that metastable solid phases of 4-octyl-4’-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) are also formed when the mesogens are confined in porous silica matrices and we study their structure by neutron diffraction and by Raman spectroscopy. Three metastable solid states are identified : one crystalline phase K’, two frozen-in smectic-like phases K s and K′ s . We discuss the relation between the structure of the metastable solid phases and that of the mesomorph phases.
PACS: codes. – 61.30.Pq - Microconfined liquid crystals: droplets, cylinders, randomly confined liquid crystals, polymer dispersed liquid crystals, and porous systems / codes. – 61.12.Ld - Neutron diffraction / codes. – 78.30.-j - Infrared and Raman spectra (condensed matter) / codes. – 64.60.My - Metastable phases
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2003
