Diminished, temperature-independent splay elastic constant on gelation
Liquid crystal gels with bent-core-rich nematic liquid crystal (NLC) as the carrier fluid and a low molecular weight organic compound as the gelator are studied. The gel fibers having plastic crystalline order in the “weak” nematic gel phase (NGel1) manifests itself in a substantial lowering of the Frank elastic constant (K11) associated with the nematic director deformation of the splay kind. This effect is strong enough to annul the order parameter controlled enhancement of K11, a feature that is important from the view point of low threshold optical devices. See J. Phys. Chem. B, 2016, 120, 2596 −2603.
Posted by Geetha Nair
