Nematic Liquid Crystal Polymer Research Articles

New ground state for the Splay-Fréedericksz transition in a polymer nematic liquid crystal.

We have discovered a new form of Fr\'eedericksz transition in which uniform splay distortion is replaced by a complex periodic twist-splay pattern having a lower critical field than that for uniform splay. Experimental evidence is presented along with an exact calculation of both the critical field and the initial form of the distortion as a function of the ratio of the splay and twist elastic constants.

Light-scattering study of a polymer nematic liquid crystal.

We study the relaxation of thermally excited orientation fluctuations in a polymer nematic liquid crystal using photon correlation spectroscopy. The material studied is poly-\ensuremath{\gamma}-benzyl glutamate at a concentration just above the isotropic to nematic transition point. The relaxation rates of elastic deformation modes exhibit large anisotropies. Quantitative measurements of ratios of Frank elastic constants and Leslie viscosities are described.