Abstract
A state-of-the-art calorimetric system has been established. The system enables us to measure simultaneously heat capacity and optical reflectivity of free-standing liquid-crystal films from many hundreds down to only two molecular layers in thickness. Our experimental results on the smectic-A-hexatic-B and smectic-C-smectic-I transitions cannot be described solely in terms of the creation of bond-orientational order, indicating that additional molecular order must be present in the hexatic phases of liquid crystals.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1189-1197 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Thermophysics |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 1994 |
Keywords
- calorimeter
- density
- film
- heat capacity
- hexatic
- liquid crystal
- smectic-A-hexatic-B transition
- two-dimensional melting