Effect of a rigid, non-polar solute on the dielectric anisotropy, the splay and bend elastic constants, and on the rotational viscosity coefficient of 4-4′-n-heptylcyanobiphenyl

Abstract

The effect of mixing a rigid, non-polar, non-mesogenic solute, biphenyl (C₆H₅-C₆H₅), in the nematic solvent 7CB (4,4′-n-heptylcyanobiphenyl) is investigated. The solute is found to reduce the nematic order and a two-phase region appears. We report measurements of the transition temperatures, dielectric anisotropy, and splay and bend elastic constants, as well as the rotational viscosity coefficient by the method of electric field-induced Fréedericksz transition for biphenyl concentrations up to 8.0%.