Anomalous increase in nematic-isotropic transition temperature in dimer molecules induced by magnetic field

Abstract

We have determined the nematic-isotropic transition temperature as a function of applied magnetic field in three different thermotropic liquid crystalline dimers. These molecules are comprised of two rigid calamitic moieties joined end to end by flexible spacers with odd numbers of methylene groups. They show an unprecedented magnetic field enhancement of nematic order in that the transition temperature is increased by up to 15K when subjected to 22T magnetic field. The increase is conjectured to be caused by a magnetic field-induced decrease of the average bend angle in the aliphatic spacers connecting the rigid mesogenic units of the dimers.

References in corpus (3)

• Nematic twist-bend phase with nanoscale modulation of molecular orientation
• A Twist-Bend Chiral Helix of 8nm Pitch in a Nematic Liquid Crystal of Achiral Molecular Dimers
• Twist-bend nematic liquid crystals in high magnetic fields

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Nematic twist--bend phase in an external field
• Comparative analysis of anisotropic material properties of uniaxial nematics formed by flexible dimers and rod-like monomers
• Atomistic simulations of nematic phases formed by cyano-biphenyl dimers
• Probing Molecular Ordering in the Nematic Phases of para-Linked Bimesogen Dimers through NMR Studies of Flexible Prochiral Solutes
• Soft modes of the dielectric response in the twist-bend nematic phase and identification of the transition to nematic splay bend phase in the dimer CBC7CB