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Sahoo R, Maity D, Shankar Rao DS, Chakrabarty S, Yelamaggad CV, Prasad SK. Dimer-parity-dependent odd-even effects in photoinduced transitions to cholesteric and twist grain boundary smectic-C^{*} mesophases: Experiments and simulations. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:044702. [PMID: 36397543 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.044702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We describe investigations on the influence of the flexible spacer parity and length of the guest photoactive liquid-crystalline dimers in guest-host mixtures exhibiting photoinduced transitions involving isotropic (I), cholesteric (N^{*}), and twist grain boundary smectic-C^{*} (TGBC^{*}) phases. Despite a small concentration (3 wt. %) of the guest molecules, the transition temperatures and their photodriven shift (δT) show a strong odd-even parity (of the dimer) dependent effect, with the even-parity systems having a larger value than their odd-parity counterparts; δT is larger for the N^{*}-TGBC^{*} transition than for the I-N^{*} one. The photocalorimetric measurements corroborate these features in addition to showing that, in comparison with the absence-of-ultraviolet (UV) case, the transition enthalpy (ΔH) of the I-N^{*} transition in the UV-on case is diminished by 33 and 12% for the mixtures with even- and odd-parity dimers, respectively. The duration for relaxation from the isothermal photodriven transition also exhibits general features of an odd-even influence. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate the presence of significant conformational heterogeneity and associated shift in the conformational space on photostimulation of the guest molecules. The change in the effective shape and nematic order parameter is more pronounced in the even-parity system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajalaxmi Sahoo
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Shivanapura 562162, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal 576104, India
| | - Dibyendu Maity
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - D S Shankar Rao
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Shivanapura 562162, India
| | - Suman Chakrabarty
- Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700106, India
| | - C V Yelamaggad
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Shivanapura 562162, India
| | - S Krishna Prasad
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Shivanapura 562162, India
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Varshini G, Rao DS, Hiremath US, Yelamaggad C, Prasad SK. Dielectric and viscoelastic investigations in a binary system of soft- and rigid-bent mesogens exhibiting the twist-bend nematic phase. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Zhou J, Tang W, Arakawa Y, Tsuji H, Aya S. Viscoelastic properties of a thioether-based heliconical twist-bend nematogen. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:9593-9599. [PMID: 32322870 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp06861a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase is one of the new types of nematics found recently, which possesses local nematic order with a heliconical orientational modulation at the nanoscale. Herein, we quantitatively determined, for the first time, the temperature-dependent elastic and viscosity properties in both the nematic (N) and NTB phases using a thioether-linked cyanobiphenyl dimer CBS7SCB exhibiting a broad temperature range of the NTB phase which is stable down to room temperature. In the N phase, the fundamental elastic moduli: splay and bend elastic moduli (K11 and K33, respectively) are found to be in the order of 10-12 N, and the effective rotational viscosity (γ1) is determined to be in the range of 5-200 mPa s. Meanwhile, the NTB phase is found to exhibit a compressive elastic modulus B in the order of several tens of kilopascals, the effective K11 in the order of 10-10-10-8 N, and a considerably large γ1 value of ∼68.7 Pa s right below the N-NTB phase transition. The present study provides insights into the comprehensive viscoelastic properties based on comparison of the obtained experimental data with not only the existing theoretical prediction but also the preceding experimental works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchen Zhou
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology (AISMST), South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
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Sridurai V, Kanakala MB, Yelamaggad CV, Nair GG. Effect of gelation on the Frank elastic constants in a liquid crystalline mixture exhibiting a twist bend nematic phase. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:9982-9990. [PMID: 31755520 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01761e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report studies on the Frank elastic constant behaviour of a liquid crystal gel system exhibiting the twist bend nematic (Ntb) phase. Physical gelation is observed to ease the splay and stabilize the twist deformations in the nematic phase preceding the Ntb. More importantly, the ultra-low bend elastic constant (K33) of the system is enhanced by an order of magnitude on gelation. The magnitude of K33 remains high even in the vicinity of the Ntb phase, which otherwise is susceptible to bend deformations. This phenomenon is explained from the point of view of polar interactions in the Ntb system. XRD and dynamic rheology along with the elastic constant data validate this argument. Another salient feature of the system is that gel fibers grown in the direction orthogonal to the helical axis vanish in the Ntb phase as observed from polarizing optical microscopy. A possible reason for this is discussed on the basis of ordering developed in the surrounding medium. This feature gives the possibility of using the Ntb phase as a tool to imprint directional microstructures with a gel network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimala Sridurai
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Jalahalli, Bangalore - 560013, India.
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Babakhanova G, Parsouzi Z, Paladugu S, Wang H, Nastishin YA, Shiyanovskii SV, Sprunt S, Lavrentovich OD. Elastic and viscous properties of the nematic dimer CB7CB. Phys Rev E 2017; 96:062704. [PMID: 29347367 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.96.062704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
We present a comprehensive set of measurements of optical, dielectric, diamagnetic, elastic, and viscous properties in the nematic (N) phase formed by a liquid crystalline dimer. The studied dimer, 1,7-bis-4-(4'-cyanobiphenyl) heptane (CB7CB), is composed of two rigid rodlike cyanobiphenyl segments connected by a flexible aliphatic link with seven methyl groups. CB7CB and other nematic dimers are of interest due to their tendency to adopt bent configurations and to form two states possessing a modulated nematic director structure, namely, the twist-bend nematic, N_{TB}, and the oblique helicoidal cholesteric, Ch_{OH}, which occurs when the achiral dimer is doped with a chiral additive and exposed to an external electric or magnetic field. We characterize the material parameters as functions of temperature in the entire temperature range of the N phase, including the pretransitional regions near the N-N_{TB} and N-to-isotropic (I) transitions. The splay constant K_{11} is determined by two direct and independent techniques, namely, detection of the Frederiks transition and measurement of director fluctuation amplitudes by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The bend K_{33} and twist K_{22} constants are measured by DLS. K_{33}, being the smallest of the three constants, shows a strong nonmonotonous temperature dependence with a negative slope in both N-I and N-N_{TB} pretransitional regions. The measured ratio K_{11}/K_{22} is larger than 2 in the entire nematic temperature range. The orientational viscosities associated with splay, twist, and bend fluctuations in the N phase are comparable to those of nematics formed by rodlike molecules. All three show strong temperature dependence, increasing sharply near the N-N_{TB} transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Babakhanova
- Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
| | - Zeinab Parsouzi
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
| | | | - Hao Wang
- Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
| | - Yu A Nastishin
- Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
- Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy, 32, Heroes of Maidan Street, Lviv 79012, Ukraine
| | | | - Samuel Sprunt
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
| | - Oleg D Lavrentovich
- Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
- Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
- Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA
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