Effect of encapsulation in MCM-41 type molecular sieves on vibrational spectra of liquid crystalline state

Abstract

The paper deals with the investigation of IR absorption spectra of a pure 4- n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal in nematic liquid crystalline (LC) state, pure aluminosilicate molecular sieves of MCM-41 type (with channels about 40 Å in diameter) and their heterogeneous binary systems. It was shown that 5CB molecules are able to interact with active centers in the MCM-41 channels forming sufficiently strong hydrogen bonds of the —CN⋯H—O— type. This conclusion was confirmed by the data obtained from DSC measurements. Relative amount of the 5CB molecules interacting with the channel walls and that of the molecules retaining the LC state when encapsulated in molecular sieves MCM-41 and CuMCM-41 were estimated.