NMR field-cycling study of proton and deuteron spin relaxation in the nematic liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl

Abstract

NMR field-cycling measurements of the deuteron spin relaxation dispersion T ₁(v) for the fully deuteriated nematic liquid crystal 4-n-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB-d ₁₉) over a broader Larmor frequency range (v≈10 kHz to 30 MHz) than reported so far in the literature basically confirm the magnetic relaxation mechanisms previously observed by frequency dependent proton spin studies of various nematogenic molecules, namely collective nematic modes of the director field in the kilohertz regime, and anisotropic reorientations of individual molecules (mainly self-diffusion for the protons and mainly rotations about the long axis for the deuterons) in the megahertz range. Within the experimental error limits such a model allows a self-consistent interpretation of the available deuteron and proton T ₁(v) results for deuteriated or protonated 5CB, respectively. In particular, the magnitudes of the measured order fluctuation contributions are in approximate accordance, i.e. within a factor of less than two, with theoretical estimates from NMR line splittings and the relevant material parameters. More exact and more extensive deuteron studies are needed to locate the origin of the observed minor inconsistency.