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Updated: May 27, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Glassy dynamics in the isotropic phase of a smectogenic liquid crystalline compound
Sylwester J Rzoska1, Sebastian Pawlus, Krzysztof Czupryński
1Institute of High Pressure Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ulica Sokołowska 27/39, PL-00-143 Warsaw, Poland. sylwester.rzoska@gmail.com
Abstract:
The temperature evolution of the primary relaxation time in the isotropic phase of 4-cyano-4'-tetradecylbiphenyl (14CB) above the isotropic-smectic A (I-SmA) transition is discussed. Based on the enthalpy space and distortion-sensitive analysis, the prevalence of the mode coupling theory (MCT) "critical" and "glassy" dynamics is shown. The obtained singular dependence is related to the MCT critical temperature located approximately 48 K below the clearing (I-SmA) temperature. However, a weak but detectable distortion in the immediate vicinity of the transition occurs. It is also shown that the value of the fragile strength coefficient D(T) is characteristic of a very fragile glassy liquid whereas the steepness index m is typical of a strong one. Both magnitudes anomalously change on approaching the I-SmA phase transition. The static permittivity shows the pretransitional effect linked to the temperature of the hypothetical continuous phase transition located approximately 10.2 K below the I-SmA transition.
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