title: Pretransitional layer contraction at the chiral smectic A-to-chiral smectic C phase transition of a chiral nitroxide radical.
abstract: We have designed and synthesized a new chiral paramagnetic liquid crystalline compound with a nitroxide radical moiety showing chiral smectic A (SmA*) and C (SmC*) phases. This compound shows pretransitional layer contraction prior to the SmA*-to-SmC* phase transition in the cooling run. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and polarized optical microscopy reveal that a temperature-dependent conformational change is responsible for the pretransitional layer contraction.
authors: Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan. yuchida@cheng.es.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors: Yoshiaki
authors: Y
authors: Uchida
authors: Katsuaki
authors: K
authors: Suzuki
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Tamura
authors: Yoshio
authors: Y
authors: Aoki
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Nohira