A simple molecular model for N-SmAd-NdRe-N1Re-SmA1 phase sequence in highly polar compounds

Abstract

Our earlier model of re-entrant liquid crystalline phases exhibited by highly polar compounds, in which the mutual orientation of near-neighbour molecules can change from an antiparallel to a parallel configuration, has been extended to include both nematic and smectic interactions. We show that, as the McMillan parameter alpha is decreased, the SmAd-SmA1 line goes over to the SmAd-N1Re line, finally becoming the NdRe-N1Re transition line, the latter ending in a critical point. This sequence is in agreement with the predictions of Prost's Landau model as well as with an experimental result. The phase sequence N-SmAd-NdRe-N1Re-SmA1 is obtained on cooling for a range of alphaA values.