Experimental confirmation of the Osipov-Terentjev theory on the viscosity of nematic liquid crystals

Shin-Tson Wu and Chiung-Sheng Wu
Phys. Rev. A 42, 2219 – Published 1 August 1990
PDFExport Citation

Abstract

A simple electro-optical technique was developed for measuring the rotational viscosity of nematic liquid crystals. These results were then used to confirm the newly developed Osipov-Terentjev (OT) theory [M. A. Osipov and E. M. Terentjev, Z. Naturforsch. A 44, 785 (1989)]. Another theory frequently used, the Diogo-Martins theory [A. C. Diogo and A. F. Martins, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 66, 133 (1981)], is also used for comparison. By comparing the OT theory with experimental results of some Leslie coefficients, the activation energy, mean-field potential, fourth order of the nematic order parameter, and molecular length-to-width ratio of a liquid-crystal compound are obtained. The mean-field coupling constant is found to be about 1.8 kTc, which is somewhat lower than the Maier-Saupe theoretical value of 4.5 kTc.

  • Received 23 April 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.42.2219

©1990 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Shin-Tson Wu and Chiung-Sheng Wu

  • Hughes Research Laboratories, 3011 Malibu Canyon Road, Malibu, California 90265

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 42, Iss. 4 — August 1990

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×