Rotational dynamics of a chiral mesogen by ²H NMR study: can it be anomalous?

Abstract

Deuterium NMR spectroscopy is used to study a ring-deuteriated chiral liquid crystal 4-(2-methylbutyl)oxycarbonylphenyl 4-(10-undecenyloxy)benzoate. The quadrupolar and proton-deuteron dipolar splittings, and deuteron quadrupolar and Zeeman spin-lattice relaxation times were measured as a function of temperature in the smectic A phase at two different Larmor frequencies. The derived spectral densities of motion at different temperatures were analysed simultaneously using a rotational diffusion model which also includes internal ring rotations. Motional parameters (D _⊥, D _∥, D _R) and order parameter tensors (S_zz , S_xx -S_yy ) were obtained. Although the present data seem insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion, we believe that it is possible for this particular chiral molecule to have D_⊥ >D_∥ , which is different from non-chiral rod-like liquid crystals.