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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Mechanisms of solute orientational order in nematic liquid crystals
E Elliott Burnell1, Leon C Ter Beek, Zhengmin Sun
1Chemistry Department, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada. elliott.burnell@ubc.ca
Abstract:
The order parameters of a number of different solutes dissolved in a number of different nematic liquid-crystal solvents are measured and compared. It is shown that the order parameters can all be rationalized with the ansatz that there exist two independent ordering mechanisms operating in the liquid crystals employed. With this ansatz it is possible to fit the experimental order parameters to better than 5%. This opens the possibility of the accurate prediction of order parameters in ordered liquids.
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