THERMOTROPIC LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE PHASES IN BINARY-MIXTURES OF NONMESOGENIC COMPOUNDS

DSC and optical microscopic studies show that the mixtures of two nonmesogenic compounds, viz., cetyl alcohol and orthophosphoric acid, exhibit polymorphic smectic mesophases at different temperatures. With the help of phase diagrams of this binary mixture, the phase behavior is discussed. The X-ray studies at different temperatures of the system reveal that the molecular area of the polar head at high temperature is twice the molecular area of the crystallized aliphatic chains at lower temperature. Electroconductivity and birefringence measurements have been done and the results are consistent with the above observations. Spectroscopic studies like NMR (H-1 and P-31) and mass spectral analysis clearly establish that the system is a simple mixture exhibiting polymorphism.