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Re-entrant Nematic Phase Established for Several Homologous Biaromatic Liquid Crystals by Investigation of Binary Mixed Systems

Abstract

Several homologous series of biaromatic liquid crystals with structure type CnH2n+1O • C6H4 • M•C6H4-CN are investigated. By studying the phase transition temperatures in binary mixed systems a "re-entrant" nematic phase N(re) is established for all compounds exhibiting smectic A phases. The virtual transition temperatures N(re) - SA are found to decrease with increasing chain length of the alkyloxy group. The influence of the middle group M on the re-entrant behaviour can be attributed mainly to its dipole moment. The temperature range of the smectic A phase decreases when the middle group dipole moment is additive to that of the nitrile group. To summarize it can be said that the "re-entrant" behaviour of biaromatic liquid crystals is found to be very similar to that of triaromatic systems reported recently

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