Memory-controlled smectic wetting of liquid crystals confined to controlled-pore matrices

The impact of severe spatial confinement on the phase transition behavior of smectic liquid crystals has been systematically studied. Dodecylcyanobiphenyl (12CB) and octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB) liquid crystals were confined to controlled-pore glasses of various pore radii R. The phase transition behavior was studied by means of high-resolution ac calorimetry. The results show that the carbon tails length of the liquid crystal molecules strongly influences the phase behavior. In 8CB samples strong pretransitional effects were observed; however, these effects were substantially weaker in 12CB samples. Moreover, a crossover between first and second order phase transition character was observed in 12CB samples upon decreasing R. The observed behavior is explained in terms of surface-memory effects and a dimensional crossover.

► Observed qualitatively different phase behavior is due to surface memory effects.
► Molecules with relatively long alkyl chains exhibit weak wetting interaction.
► In severely confined samples dimensional-crossover could be observed.