Sureshchandra J Gupta1, Anita SS Kanwar2, R.S. Shukla1, Linta Mathew1, and Titty S. George.1. (1) Department of Physics, University of Mumbai, Vidyanagari, Santacruz (E), Mumbai, India, (2) Department of Physics, V.E.S. College of Arts, Science & Com., Sindhi Society, Chembur, Mumbai, India
The miscibility of low molar liquid crystals[LCs] is important both for the identification of various liquid crystalline phases [LCPs] and for the preparation of mixtures with well-defined phase transitions. Arnold, Sackmann and Demus developed the miscibility rules which can be summarized as follows: i) If two LCs are miscible, they are isomorphic and therefore belong to the same type of mesophase. ii) If two LCs are isomorphic, they need not necessarily be miscible. When two compounds are isomorphic within a certain mesophase, both their thermal transition temperatures and corresponding thermodynamic parameters exhibit continuous dependence on their composition. This means that both the components of mixtures behave like an ideal solution. Therefore, by knowing the phase transition temperatures[PTTs] and thermodynamic parameters of the parent compounds, we can apply the equations of Schroeder and Van Laar to predict the phase diagram of the mixture. The present paper discusses the experimental results obtained by studying the binary mixtures of Cholesteryl Liquid Crystals[CLCs] in different proportions. The samples have been studied using the novel technique of Fabry Perot Scattering Studies[FPSS]1,2,3,4,5,6. This is the first time that this technique has been used to investigate the PTTs of mixtures of CLCs. We are reporting the mesophase transition temperatures observed by this technique. The results obtained have been corroborated using the age-old technique of Differential Scanning Calorimetery[DSC] as well as the Polarisation Microscopy studies[PMS]. Our technique has been observed to be rather more sensitive and accurate inasmuch as it gives some additional transition temperatures quite obviously while the thermograms obtained in the DSC technique have to be expanded and examined carefully in order to locate the second order transitions as well as those peaks with low heats of transition in the first order. A comparison with earlier work is given wherever possible. We have also measured the refractive indices of the individual components as well as the binary mixtures using the Multi-wavelength Abbe Refractrometer. The observations as well as the results shall be presented in this paper. REFERENCES 1. Gupta S J, Indian J of Pure Appl Phys, 37 620 (1999). 2. Gupta S J, J of Optics, 29 53-62(2000). 3. Gupta S J, Liquid Crystals: Chemistry, Physics& Applns,(Procs of SPIE, Poland), 4147 23(2000). 4. Gupta S J, Gharde R A & Tripathi A R, Molecular Crystals & Liquid Crystals,(Procs Of ILCC2000, Japan) 364 461(2000). 5. Gupta S J, Gharde R A & Tripathi A R, Liquid Crystals: Chemistry, Physics & Applns,(Procs of SPIE,Poland),4759,135 (2001). 6. Gupta S J, Gharde R A & Tripathi A R, Laser Crystals, Glasses & Nonlinear Materials Growth & Characterization,(Procs of SPIE, USA), 4970 89(2003).
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