Comparative Investigations of Light Transmission in Aligned and Non-aligned Textures of Homogeneous Mixtures of 4-n-alkyl-4′-Cyanibiphenyl Mesogens at Direct and Reverse smectic A ↔ isotropic liquid Phase Transitions

Abstract

The thermo-optical properties of various types of textures (the homeotropic, planar, and tilted aligned and non-aligned textures) in liquid crystalline materials with smectic A mesophase have been investigated. Investigations have been carried out for large temperature interval and at the direct smectic A mesophase–isotropic liquid (SmA–I) and isotropic liquid–smectic A mesophase (I–SmA) phase transitions that have been carried out. Homogeneous mixtures of 4-n-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl with 4-n-decyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl were the objects of the investigations. Temperature dependences of the optical transmission for aligned and non-aligned textures have been measured. Temperature widths of the heterophase regions for the SmA–I and I–SmA phase transitions have been determined. The temperature shift in the optical transmission dependences to low temperatures for the reverse I–SmA phase transition temperatures and the thermal hysteresis has been found for the aligned and non-aligned textures.