Nematic Liquid Crystals and Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding

Abstract

We have observed the rise in nematic-isotropic transition temperature (T_<NI>) in many nematic 5CB and non-nematic binary systems. These T_<NI> increases have been attributable to the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the cyano-group of 5CB and the OH group of solutes. To ascertain these, we have studied the effect of thiol derivatives as solutes. The effects of phenol and benzoic asid derivatives on the T_<NI> of some cholesteric and ester type nematic liquid crystals were studied in this work.