Phase Transitions of Mixtures of the Nematic Liquid Crystals 5CB and MBBA Using Microscopic Techniques

Christopher Locke

The goal of this experiment was to study the temperatures at which the phase transitions of mixtures of the liquid crystals MBBA and 5CB took place. This was achieved using a microscope and computer software. The mixtures were composed of molar ratios of BBA and 5CB in the following ways: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 2:3 (MBBA:5CB). All ratios underwent phase transitions from the liquid phase to the nematic. Only the 1:1 mixutre underwent a third transition, from the nematic to the smectic phase.