Shift of the nematic–isotropic phase transition temperature in a thin layer of a metallomesogenic complex

Abstract

The effect of boundaries on the nematic–isotropic phase transition temperature in a melt of a metallomesogenic complex was studied for the first time. This was done by comparison of the electro-optical constant of the isotropic phase with the dielectric and optical anisotropy of the nematic phase on the basis of the Landau–de Gennes theory. In a real experiment, the two liquid phases (nematic and isotropic ones) coexist in a range of several degrees around the transition. According to polarization microscopy data, the phase transition temperature decreases by more than 10°C as the metallomesogen layer thickness is reduced from 200 to 5 μm.