Miroslav Cvetinov

Effect of the chiral chain length on structural and phase properties of ferroelectric liquid crystals

Studies of structural and phase properties obtained on several ferroelectric liquid crystalline materials with 2-alkoxypropionate group used as a chiral centre and without any lateral substitution are presented. In dependence on the chiral chain length these compounds exhibit the cholesteric N* phase, the ferroelectric smectic C* and a low-temperature SmX phase. Values of the spontaneous polarization and spontaneous tilt angle have been determined within the whole range of the SmC* phase. A low-temperature SmX phase has been identified as the orthogonal hexatic SmB* phase. The molecular parameters, namely the layer spacing in the SmC* and SmB* phases and the average intermolecular distances (D) between neighbouring parallel molecules in all investigated phases have been determined using the results of the X-ray diffraction obtained on non-oriented samples. The effect of the chiral chain length on mesomorphic, structural and physical properties of the studied ferroelectric liquid crystalline materials is discussed.

Study of binary cholesteric liquid crystalline mixtures doped with some chiral nonmesogenic estradiol derivatives

We investigated the influence of some estradiol derivatives on the thermal and structural properties of binary mixtures of cholesteryl enantate and cholesteryl myristate. The characterization of the mesophases was made by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. A considerable shift of the phase transition temperature I→Ch, as well as the temperature of formation of the SmA* phase was observed. Besides phase sequences and phase transition temperatures the measurements enabled the determination of some molecular parameters of the mixtures: the thickness of smectic layers and the longitudinal spacing distance in the cholesteric phase (d) and the average distance between the long axes of neighboring molecules (D).

Powder diffraction data and mesomorphic properties of 4-butyloxyphenyl 4′-decyloxybenzoate

Unit cell parameters calculated from X-ray powder diffraction data are presented for the crystalline phase of a liquid crystal 4-butyloxyphenyl 4′-decyloxybenzoate: a = 23.098 (4) Å, b = 5.974 (6) Å, c = 12.357 (10) Å, β = 121.5283 (788)°, unit-cell volume V = 1453.56 Å3. Temperature dependent X-ray diffraction data confirmed the existence of smectic A and smectic C mesophases and a more ordered, tilted crystalline smectic phase. Possibility of existence of previously reported smectic B phase as well as another crystalline phase was refuted.

Phase behaviors of binary mixtures composed of banana-shaped and calamitic mesogens

In this work, five mixtures with different concentrations of banana-shaped and calamitic compounds have been prepared and subsequently studied by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction on non-oriented samples. The phase sequences and molecular parameters of the binary systems are presented.

The study of phase transition in some irradiated cholesteric liquid crystalline mixtures

We present the study of binary and multicomponent cholesteric mixtures undertaken with the aim of forming a system with the temperature of the phase transition close to the room temperature, which could be suitable for the detection of ionizing radiation. The phase diagrams were established on the basis of data from the optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The mixtures were exposed to the continual spectrum of X-Ray radiation in the period of 30/60 min. The mixtures react by changing the color of the mesophase, and a shift of the mesophase transition towards lower temperatures. The duration of the effects exceeds six months.

Phase behavior and molecular self-assembly of some calamitic/bent-core nematic mixtures

ABSTRACT The primary research goal within contemporary liquid crystalline display industry is to discover new materials exhibiting phase temperature range and properties useful for display application. In this work, we studied five binary mixtures composed of different concentrations of bent-core and calamitic compounds. Pure compounds and selected mixtures were studied by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffractometry, as well as by semi-empirical quantum-chemical calculations. Phase transition types, temperatures, and enthalpies were determined. Molecular packaging in the nematic mesophase is proposed. All studied mixtures exhibit the nematic phase of wide temperature range near to the room temperature.

Broadening of mesophase temperature range induced by doping calamitic mesogen with banana-shaped mesogen

We have investigated three binary mixtures composed of selected banana-shaped dopant in low concentrations and calamitic mesogen in high. Banana-shaped dopant forms a B7 phase, while the calamitic mesogen exhibit nematic and smectic SmA and SmC phases. The occurring mesophases have been identified by their optical textures. At dopant concentrations of 2.2 and 3.1 mol%, there is evident broadening of nematic and smectic SmA temperature ranges in respect to the pure calamitic compound. Yet, the mixture with dopant concentration of 7 mol% exhibits narrower temperature ranges of mesophases. Increasing dopant concentration caused lowering of all phase transitions temperatures (TI-N, TN-SmA, TSmA-SmC) in all investigated mixtures. Therefore, mixing classic calamitic compounds with novel banana-shaped compound in low concentrations is viable way to attain useful mesophase range for application in industry.

X-ray diffraction characterization of different polymorphyc forms of clopidogrel bisulphate in substance and pharmaceutical dosage form

Abstract The present study deals with the application of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis as a technique for identification of the forms of clopidogrel bisulphate (CLP) present in both the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and tablets, specifically addressing the question of whether API converts to another form after 12 months of storage. The investigation of the possibility of phase transitions occurring over a temperature range spanning from room temperature to the melting point, both in tablets and pure CLP, were also performed. Tablet samples were observed for the changes in their structure using polarizing optical microscopy, which was also used to determine the melting points of tablet samples. The results gained during this work confirm that XRPD is applicable for API and tablets testing. This is particularly important if we take into account that the method can be used during stability studies, i.e. in order to test the quality of tablets during the validity period.