CRYTSALLOGRAPHY

LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY

LIQUID CRYSTAL
Introduction :
In some of he substances the tendency towards an ordered arrangement of
molecules is so great that crystalline solid does not melt directly into liquid state
but passes first through an intermediate change that is called LIQUID CRYSTAL.

The distinguishing characteristic of the liquid crystalline state is the tendency of

the molecules (mesogens) to point along a common axis, called the DIRECTOR.
This is in contrast to molecules in the liquid phase, which have no intrinsic order.
In the solid state, molecules are highly ordered and have little translational
freedom. The characteristic orientational order of the liquid crystal state is
between the traditional solid and liquid phases.

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LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY

Liquid Crystal Phases :

Depending upon the positional order & orientional order of the molecules in the
phases liquid crystal phases are divided into three types:
i.

Nematic Phase

ii.

Smectic Phase

iii.

Cholesteric Phase

i.

Nematic phase :

The word nematic comes from the Greek, which mens thread. The nematic
liquid crystal phases is characterized by molecules that have no positional order
but tend to point in the same direction (along the director).
In the following diagram, notice that the molecules point vertically but are
arranged with no particular order.
In a nematic phase, the calamitic or rod-shaped organic molecules have no
positional order, but they self-align to have long-range directional order. Most
nematics are uniaxial : they have one axis that is longer an preferred, with the
other two being equivalent (can be approximated as cylinders or rods)

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ii.

LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY

Smectic Phase :
The word smectic is derived from the Greek word for soap. The smectic

phases, which are found at lower temperature than the nematic,

from well-

definded layers that can slide over one another in a manner similar to that of
soap. The smectics are thus positionally order along

one direction. In the

Smectic A phase, the molecules are oriented along

the layer normal, while in

the Smectic C phase they are tilted away from

the layer normal. These phases

are liquid-like within the layers.

iii.

Cholesteric Phase :

The chiral nematic phase exhibits chirality (handedness). This phase is often
called the cholesteric phase because it was first observed for cholesterol
derivatives. Only chiral molecules(i.e those that lack inversion symmetry) can
give rise to such a phase.
This phase exhibits a twisting of the molecules perpendicular to the director, with
the molecular axis parallel to the director. The finite twist angle between adjacent
molecules is due to their asymmetric packing, which results in longer-range chiral
order. In the smectic C* phase (an asterisk denotes a chiral phase), the molecules
have positional ordering in a layered structure (as in the other smectic phases),
with induces a finite azimthal twist from one layer to the next, producing a spiral
twisting of the molecular axis along the layer normal.

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LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY

Chiral nematic phase; p refers to the chiral pitch. The chiral pitch, p, refers to the
distance over which the LC molecules under a full 360 twist, The pitch, p typically
changes when the temperature is altered or when other molecules are added to
the LC host allowing the pitch of a given material to be tuned accordingly. In some
liquid crystal systems, the pitch is of the same order ass the wavelength of visible
light. This causes these systems to exhibit unique optical properties, such as
Bragg reflection and low-threshold laser emission. Cholesteric liquid crystal also
exhibit the unique property that the reflect circularly polarized light when it is
incident along the helical axis and elliptically polarized if it comes in obliquely.

APPLICATIONS OF LIQUID CRYSTALS :

I.

Liquid Crystal Display(LCD) :

Liquid crystal find wide use in liquid crystal displays, which rely on the optical
properties of certain liquid crystalline substances in the

presence or absence

of an electrical field.
1-Vertical polarization filter, 2,4- glass with electrodes, 3- liquid crystals, 5horizontal polarization filter, 6- reflector
In a typical device, a liquid crystal layer (typically 10m thick) sits between
tow polarizers that are crossed (oriented at 90 to one another).

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LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY

The twisted phase alignment is chosen so that its relaxed phase is a twisted
one. This twisted phase reorients light that has passed through the first
polarizer, allowing its transmission through the second polarizer (and
reflected back to the observer if a reflector is provided). The device thus
appears transparent.
When an electric field is applied to the LC layer, the long molecular axes
tend to align parallel to the electric field thus gradually twisting in the
center of the liquid crystal layer. In this state, the LC molecules do not
reorient light, so the light polarized at the first polarizer is absorbed at the
second polarizer, and the device loses transparency with increasing voltage.
In this way, the electric field can be used to make a pixel switch between
transparent or opaque on command.
Color LCD systems use the same technique, with color filters used to
generate red, green, and blue pixels. Similar principles can be used to make
other liquid crystal based optical devices.

II.

Liquid crystal Laser :

Liquid crystal lasers use a liquid crystal in the lasing medium as a distributed
feedback mechanism instead of external mirrors. Emission at a photonic
bandgap crated by the periodic dielectric structure of the liquid crystal gives a
low threshold high-output device with stable monochromatic emission.

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LIGUID CRYSTAL & FACES

THEORY