Phase behavior and dynamics in mixture of 5CB/dimethyl terephthalate

Phase behavior and dynamics were examined for mixture of 5CB with dilute dimethyl terephthalate (DMT). In this mixture, there are two types of phase separation; liquid (nematic) - liquid (isotropic) and liquid (nematic/isotropic) – solid (DMT crystalline) phase separation.

This phase behavior was well described by a simple model of free energy contributed from Flory-Huggins mixing entropy, Landau-de Gennes nematic free energy, and the crystalline chemical potential. In this model, the concentration and orientation of 5CB served as order parameters contributing to the free energy. Fluctuation of these parameters at equilibrium results in correlation of physical properties reflecting those parameters, i.e., the kinematic viscosity and dielectric relaxation time.