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Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Thermodynamic phase transition triggered by distinct distortion and ordering of dipropylammonium picrate
Yuelan Zhou1, Tianliang Chen, Zhihua Sun
1Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330022 (China).
Abstract:
Dipropylammonium picrate (compound 1) undergoes a first-order phase transition at 185.0 K. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements show reversible anomaly peaks with a thermal hysteresis of 10.2 K. Dielectric responses with distinct anisotropy and striking anomaly further confirm the phase transition. Detailed structural analyses demonstrate that the phase transition in 1 is dominated by order-disorder transformations of the dipropylammonium (DPA) cations and the picrate anions. Moreover, the unique distortions of the terminal propyl moieties in the flexible chain-like DPA cation also play an important role in this structural phase transition. All these results indicate that 1 is a potential phase-transition material.
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