Signatures of glass transition in partially ordered phases

Abstract

Features of glass transition in liquid crystalline nematic and smectic E, B and I_A phases of selected materials observed by means of the polarising microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are reported. Evolution of cracking in the glass and a coincidence of its disappearance temperature with the glass transition temperature (T_g) on heating is shown and discussed in the context of processes that occur in the glass. The shape of temperature dependencies of absorption bands is shown as the signature of the glass transition.

Keywords:

• glass transition
• liquid crystals
• polarising microscopy
• IR spectroscopy

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Professor Roman Dąbrowski and his group for providing them with four materials exhibiting glass-forming phases of partial long-range order of molecules. One of them (N.O.) would like to acknowledge the grant EU Human Capital Operation Program, Polish Project No. PKOL.04.0101-00-434/08-00.