摘要:
The mesomorphic and structural properties of the chiral lactic acid derivative 4'-(1-(octyloxy)-1-oxopropan-2-yloxy) biphenyl-4-yl 4-(decyloxy)benzoate have been studied. The compound shows the blue phase (BPII), the cholesteric (N*), the TGB(A) and the paraelectric SmA* phases over a broad temperature range. Polarising optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, optical transmission, X-ray diffraction and dielectric spectroscopy studies have been performed. In the SmA* phase the layer spacing (d) values are found to be slightly temperature dependent and suggest that there is no bi-layer association present in the mesophase. In the TGB(A) phase, the d values show strong temperature dependence near SmA*-TGB(A) phase transition, indicating pre-transitional effect. The temperature dependence of scattered X-ray intensities indicate the appearance of long range smectic ordering at the N*-TGB(A) phase transition. Near the TGB(A)-SmA* phase boundary strong SmA* fluctuations predominate. This behaviour is also observed from the temperature dependence of the d values. The transverse correlation lengths, xi(perpendicular to), diverge near the N*-TGB(A) phase transition indicating second order phase transition. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.