Analytical Sciences

Phase-Transitions in Langmuir-Blodgett and Cast Films of a Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal

Zi WEN,* Qing JIANG,* Yiping DU,** and Yukihiro OZAKI***

*Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials (Jilin University), Ministry of Education, and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130025, China
**Analysis and Research Center, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
***Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Kwansei-Gakuin University, Gakuen, Sanda, Hyogo 669-1337, Japan

Langmuir-Blodgett films and cast films of a ferroelectric liquid crystal of sec-butyl-6-(4-(nonyloxy)benzoyloxy)-2-naphthoate have been fabricated. Their thermal behavior was investigated using infrared spectroscopy at elevated temperature combined with principal component analysis. The result shows a new phase transition from smectic A to nematic phase, compared to the phase sequence obtained by polarizing optical microscopy. Another solid transition of different isomeric crystals was also found, which was confirmed by calorimetric measurement.

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