Binary Mixtures of Hydrogen-Bonded Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals: Thermal Span Enhancement in Smectic X* Phase

Abstract

Abstract Thermotropic hydrogen-bonded ferroelectric binary liquid crystal mixtures comprising of N-carbamyl-l-glutamic acid (CGA) and p-n-alkyloxy benzoic acids (BAO) are investigated. Variation in the molar proportion of X and Y (where X=CGA+5BAO and Y=CGA+9BAO, CGA+10BAO, CGA+11BAO, and CGA+12BAO) comprising of four series yielded 36 binary mixtures. Optical and thermal properties of these mixtures are meticulously studied in the present article. In addition to the traditional phases, a novel smectic ordering namely smectic X* is observed in all the four series. The aim of the investigation is to obtain abundance occurrence of smectic X* with a large thermal span, and hence, the proportions of the binary mixtures are so chosen that the prelude task is accomplished. Optical tilt angle in smectic X* and smectic C* phases is experimentally determined, and a theoretical fit is performed. Phase diagrams of the four series are constructed from the data obtained from the differential scanning calorimetry and correlated with the phases recorded by the polarising optical microscope studies. Thermal stability factor and thermal equilibrium are also premeditated.