Image processing as a tool for phase transitions identification

This paper reports on the application of image processing of liquid crystal textures captured as a function of the sample temperature. From the calculations we obtain the mean square deviation of the image tones, where the appearance of discontinuities as a function of the temperature is related to a phase transition. This method is a particularly important tool for the identification of phase transitions with reduced enthalpy, which are difficult to identify from DSC experiments. We investigated compounds that exhibit smectic and columnar mesophases, and the results are compared with those obtained from optical observation, X-ray diffraction and DSC. In addition, this method can be used to identify the melting points of thin solid films in general.