Nematic order in p-azoxyanisole and its dependence on pressure, volume and temperature

Abstract

The extension of the Maier-Saupe treatment of nematic liquid crystals discussed in previous papers is able to give a quantitative description of the following properties of p-azoxyanisole: (a) the volume change at the nematic-isotropic transition point T_c, (b) the temperature variation of the long range orientational order parameter s1 at constant pressure, (c) the temperature variation of s₁ at constant volume, (d) the volume variation of s₁ at constant temperature, and (e) the pressure invariance of s₁ at T_c.