Ultrasonic and thermodynamic effects on optical phase transition studies of ternary mixture of liquid crystals

We report the results of our studies on optical and thermal properties of ternary mixture of compounds, viz., laurylpyridinium chloride (LPC), cholesteryl oleate (CO) and Glacial acetic acid (GAA). These mixture exhibits a very interesting re-entrant smectic-A and induced chiral smectic phases for different concentrations of CO sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic phase. The temperature variations of optical-refractive index and ultrasonic measurements have been discussed to understand the phase transition behavior of the given molecules. Thermodynamical response of optical-birefringence has also been discussed to understand: the phase stability, chemical structure and molecular dynamics of the multi-component system of liquid crystalline materials.