Liquid Crystals

by
Swetha L
Introduction :
The study of liquid crystals began
in 1888 when an Austrian botanist
named Friedrich Reinitzer observed that
a material known as cholesteryl
benzoate had two distinct melting
points (i.e., 145.50C & 178.50C) In his
experiments, Reinitzer increased the
temperature of a solid sample and
observed the crystal changing into a
hazy liquid. As he increased the
temperature further, the material again
changed into a clear, transparent liquid.
Because of this early work, Reinitzer is
often credited with discovering a new
phase of matter - the liquid crystal.
Ø The liquid crystal state is a
distinct state of matter in which
the degrees of molecular ordering
lie intermediate between the
ordered crystalline state and the
completely disordered isotropic
liquid state.

Ø Liquid crystalline phase is also

referred as mesophase & the
compounds which exhibit
mesophase are referred to as
mesogens.
Positional & orientational
order:
Ø In solid state, the molecules are highly
ordered. Each molecule occupies a fixed
rigid position and is immobile.
Therefore, there is a positional &
orientational order in solids.

Ø In liquid state, the molecules neither

occupy specific positions nor remain
oriented in a specific manner.

Ø In liquid crystalline state, there exists

liquid crystal phase wherein the
molecules are free to move but are
oriented in a particular manner. Thus, it
 Liquid crystal molecules
possess orientational order. The
direction of preferred orientation
in a liquid crystal is called the
director.
As the molecules do not
possess any positional order they
are in constant motion and they
spend more time pointing along
the director than along any other
direction.
Order parameter:
Liquid crystals possess some
degree of orientational order but not as
good as solid material. To quantify how
much order is present in a material an
order parameter (S) is defined.

The order parameter is given as follows,

S= ½ [3cos2 θ – 1]
where, θ is the angle made by each
molecule with the director.
Ø Order parameters for,
solids, S = 1
liquids, S = 0
liquid crystals, S = 0.3 to 0.9

Ø Order parameter depends on temperature. As the

temperature increases order parameter decreases.
Requirements for a molecule to exhibit
liquid crystallinity:
Ø Molecule should be in elongated shape.
Ø An appreciable part of the molecule
should have rigidity with flexible end.
1. In some liquid crystals, the central
part of the molecule is rigid with
flexible ends.
2. In some others the rigid segments are
attached along its length by short
flexible segments as in polymers.

The flexible part causes the molecule

to loose its positional order. But the
rigid segments in the molecule
attempt to maintain the orientational
Classification of liquid crystals:
Nematic liquid crystals:
The term ‘nematic’ is derived from
the Greek word which means ‘thread
like’. This phase is characterized by the
molecules that have no positional order
but tend to orient in the same direction
i.e., along the director.
Example:
Chiral nematic liquid crystal:
This phase is formed by
compounds having Chiral centers.
In this structure the directors
actually form in a continuous
helical pattern .
Example:
Smectic liquid crystals:
The word ‘smectic‘ is derived
from the Greek word which means
‘soapy’. In smectic state, the molecules
maintain the general orientational order
of nematic but also tend to align
themselves in layers or planes.

Picture of the smectic A

phase
Example:
• Smectic-A
 Photo of the smectic C
Picture of the smectic C phase
phase
• Example for smectic-C
Columnar liquid crystal:
Liquid crystals are also
formed by disc or plate like
structured molecules. These are
called discotic or columnar liquid
crystals.
§ The simplest discotic phase is
called discotic nematic phase due
to the fact that there is no
positional order but there is
orientational order. There is a
random motion of molecules but
on an average , the axis
perpendicular to the plane of each
molecule tend to orient along the
director.
Example for columnar liquid
crystal
Lyotropic liquid crystals:
Some compounds transform
to a liquid crystal phase when
with a solvent. In other words,
anisotropic solution mesophase
for high solute concentration
which are formed by the solution
rod-like entities in an isotropic
solvent are called lyotropic liquid
crystals.
Applications:

Ø The most common applications of

liquid crystals are in liquid crystal
displays (LCD). LCDs are found in
wrist-watches, calculators,
computers and various other
devices where a low-power display
is needed. The optical properties
can be used to make electronic
shutters and other optical
switches.
Ø Polymer liquid crystals have been
extensively studied; liquid crystal
phases are important in the
formation of super-strength
polymers.
Ø Liquid crystals also seem to be
intimately involved in the
functions of biological structures,
such as living tissue.
Ø The "mood ring", a popular
novelty a few years ago, took
advantage of the unique ability of
the chiral nematic liquid crystal.
Ø Liquid crystal temperature
sensors can also be used to find
bad connections on a circuit board
by detecting the characteristic
higher temperature.
Ø Special liquid crystal devices can
be attached to the skin to show a
"map" of temperatures. This is
useful because often physical
problems, such as tumors, have a
different temperature than the
surrounding tissue.
 Liquid Crystals are highly sensitive
materials, that respond to
temperature.  Liquid crystals change
from black to a rainbow of colors and
then back to black again upon heating. 
Upon cooling the reverse color change
occurs.
Liquid crystals can be formulated
into thermometers with a wide or
narrow temperature sensitivity, and can
be made into any size or shape. 
Examples of liquid crystal
thermometers are aquarium
thermometers, forehead
thermometers,  room thermometers,
Liquid crystal thermometers
• Chiral nematic liquid crystals
reflect light with a wavelength
equal to the pitch. Because pitch
is dependent on temperature, the
color reflected also is dependent
upon temperature. liquid crystals
make it possible to accurately
guess temperature just by looking
at the color of the thermometer by
mixing different compounds, a
device for practically any
temperature range can be built.
Baby Nipple Thermometer:
Specifications:
1) Temperature range:
32oC~42oC
2) Display LoC: temperature
below 32oC Display HoC:
temperature above 42oC
3) Accuracy: ±0.1oC
(35oC~39oC)  ±0.2oC <35oC
and >39oC
4) Power: 0.15mW (working)
5) Battery: 1.5V, ordinary
button battery
6) Alarm: thermometer beeps
after temperature taken (5
seconds)
Limitations :
• There are some limitations in
using liquid crystals. 
Unfortunately, liquid crystals are
very difficult to work with and
require highly specialized printing
and handling techniques.  Liquid
crystals are also more expensive.
They are adversely effected by
high temperatures, ultra violet
light, and strong solvents or
chemicals.