Maria R. De La Fuente

Bio: Maria R. De La Fuente is an academic researcher from Polytechnic University of Catalonia. The author has contributed to research in topics: Liquid crystal & Critical exponent. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 16 citations.

Re-entrant Nematic Behavior in the 7OCB+9OCB Mixtures: Evidence for Multiple Nematic−Smectic Tricritical Points

Abstract: The metastable phase diagram of the two-component system heptyloxycyanobiphenyl (7OCB)+nonyloxycyanobiphenyl (9OCB) was determined by means of modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) and optical microscopy measurements. It was experimentally established that the 7OCB+9OCB two-component system exhibits a monotropic re-entrant nematic behavior. A complete quantitative thermodynamic analysis, through Oonk's equal G analysis, was performed, allowing for the calculation of the monotropic re-entrant behavior and the prediction of two tricritical points, one of them experimentally accessible for the SmAd-to-N transition and the other non-experimentally accessible for the RN-to-SmAd transition. From specific-heat measurements, latent heats were obtained for those mixtures displaying a first-order SmAd-to-N transition. Additionally, for some mixtures, the specific-heat critical exponents (α), through the second-order SmAd-to-N transition, were obtained. Both batches of data enable us to access to the ex...

Critical behaviour of optical birefringence in the vicinity of nematic–isotropic and smectic A–isotropic phase transitions of the eight members of alkyloxy-cyanobiphenyls

Abstract: We report the measurements of birefringence (Δn) as a function of the temperature of a homologous series of alkyloxy-cyanobiphenyls (nOCB) liquid crystalline compounds by means of high-resolution optical transmission method. The temperature dependence of the birefringence has been determined from the transmitted intensity data for two different wavelengths. The order parameter critical exponent β, obtained by using a four-parameter fitting procedure consistent with the mean-field theory for a weakly first order transition, is found to be in good agreement with the theoretically predicted tricritical value. A weak birefringence has been found to develop on approaching the clearing temperature, which is tentatively attributed to the formation of a small mesophase domain within the isotropic phase. This striking behaviour leads to a further quantification of the critical fluctuation close to the transition. Finally, the order character of the nematic–isotropic (N–I) and smectic A–isotropic (SmA–I) ph...

Tests of the tricritical point in the SmA-to-N phase transition of binary mixtures of butyloxybenzylidene octylaniline and hexyloxybenzylidene octylaniline

Abstract: The present work arises from the significant difference between the experimental Landau tricritical point (LTCP) in the Sm A-to-N phase transition in binary mixtures of butyloxybenzylidene octylaniline (4O.8) and hexyloxybenzylidene octylaniline (6O.8) predicted by Stine and Garland, and that arising from the thermodynamic assessment using the Oonk's Equal Gibbs Curve method. By use of specific heat measurements the 4O.8 + 6O.8, phase diagram has been determined anew. The results of the subsequent application of Oonk's thermodynamic analysis are discussed and their compatibility with the behaviour universally exhibited by other liquid crystal binary mixtures for which a LTCP in the SmA-to-N phase transition has been experimentally determined are analysed.

Critical behaviour of a polar-polar binary system from optical birefringence measurements

Abstract: High resolution measurements of optical birefringence (Δn) have been carried out to study the critical behaviour at the nematic-isotropic (N–I) and smectic A-nematic (SmA–N) phase transitions in a binary system composed of nonyloxycyanobiphenyl (9OCB) and heptylcyanobiphenyl (7CB). From a fitting procedure compatible with the weakly first order nature of the N–I transition, the order parameter critical exponent β at the N–I transition has been found to be in well agreement with the tricritical hypothesis. The pretransitional behaviour at the SmA–N transition has been investigated with the aid of a differential parameter extracted from Δn data and the yielded critical exponent α has been found to be non-universal in nature. A weak birefringence have been found to develop on approaching the N–I transition temperature, which is tentatively attributed to surface induced ordering. In this case, a treatment identical to that for the SmA–N transition yields a tricritical nature for the N–I transition in ...

Tricritical behavior of the nematic to smectic-A phase transition in the binary mixture of liquid crystal

Abstract: We propose a phenomenological model to describe the tricritical behavior of the nematic to smectic-A (N-SmA) phase transition in liquid crystal mixture. To describe the mesophase transitions in binary mixture, nematic and smectic order parameters have been coupled with the concentration. We show that a tricritical point on the N-SmA phase transition line can be achieved under certain conditions. The predictive capability of the present model for determining the tricritical point of a binary mixture displaying the N-SmA transition has been demonstrated by testing with reported phase diagrams sharing both phases.