Flow activation free energy in cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals

Abstract

The flow activation free energy (ΔG *) is the minimum energy necessary to induce a flow in a system that is at rest. It can be calculated from the system viscosity using the Andrade-Eyring theory. In the present work the flow activation free energy of cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals was studied as a function of D-(+)-mannose concentration added to a nematic mesophase. The results obtained showed that all the systems can be characterized as Newtonian, but a smooth time-dependent effect can be observed mainly in systems with a lower chiral inductor concentration. It has also been observed that an increase of cholestericity leads to a decrease of ΔH * values until a limit is reached at 1 mol % of inductor. From a positive ΔS * variation it was possible to verify the existence of a locally less organized transient state during the process of micellar diffusion. When the cholesterization process was considered, the increase of the inductor concentration leads to a decrease of ΔS * and consequently to a system, as a whole, more orderly, possibly as a result of the restriction of movement caused by the presence of chiral interactions.