title: Unusual dynamic behavior in the isotropic phase of banana mesogens detected by 2H NMR line width and T2 measurements.
abstract: In this work the first experimental observation of a peculiar behavior in the isotropic phase of liquid crystals by means of 2H NMR is reported. In particular, two five-ring banana-shaped mesogens, the 1,3-phenylenebis{4,4'-(11-undecenyloxy)benzoyloxy}benzoate (Pbis11BB) and its 4-chloro homologue (ClPbis11BB), selectively deuterium labeled on their central rings, are the subject of our investigation. The dynamic behavior of the two liquid crystals was studied in their isotropic phases and in the nematic phase of ClPbis11BB by means of 2H NMR line width and spin-spin relaxation time (T2) analysis. The results obtained reveal that the unusual line broadening observed in the 2H NMR spectra in the isotropic phase, even far above the isotropic phase-mesophase transition, has a homogeneous nature, thus indicating the presence of reorientational motions much slower than in conventional isotropic liquid-crystalline phases.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Università di Pisa, Via Risorgimento 35, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Domenici
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geppi
authors.forename: Carlo Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Veracini
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blinc
authors.forename: Andrija
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lebar
authors.forename: Bostjan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zalar