Landau theory of the nematic-smectic a tricritical phase transition in a binary mixture of liquid crystals


Yurtseven H. H.

PHASE TRANSITIONS, vol.53, no.1, pp.75-86, 1995 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 53 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 1995
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/01411599508200388
  • Journal Name: PHASE TRANSITIONS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.75-86
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

We have developed in this study a thermodynamic model for the nematic-smectic A (NA) tricritical phase transition of a binary mixture of liquid crystals in analogy with the model for quasi fluid mixtures due to Griffiths. Using the Landau theory with a symmetrical TCP, we have predicted the critical behaviours of the nematic susceptibility, order parameter and the specific heat discontinuity in the vicinity of the TCP.