Nematic order in p-azoxyanisole and its dependence on pressure volume and temperature

Abstract

The extension of the Maier-Saupe treatment of nematic liquid crystals discussed in previous papers is able to give a quantitative description of the following properties of p-azoxyanisole: (a) the volume change at the nematic-isotropic transition point Tc, (b) the temperature variation of the long range orientational order parameter sl at constant pressure, (c) the temperature variation of sl at constant volume, (d) the volume variation of Sl at constant temperature, and (e) the pressure invariance of sl at Tc.