ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the major methods of liquid crystal phase characterisation and identification. The liquid crystalline phase is a distinct phase of matter, but there are many different types of liquid crystalline phases. The various liquid crystalline phases and other mesophases are characterised and then classified according to the molecular ordering that constitutes the phase structure. The techniques that are used to characterise and identify liquid crystalline phases are relevant to a wide range of other scientific areas. Everyone working in the field of liquid crystals will at some point need to use optical polarising microscopy in the analysis of liquid crystals. Homeotropic alignment is where the molecules that constitute the phase structure are oriented such that their long axes are normal to the supporting substrate. Many different treatments are available to produce either homeotropic alignment or homogeneous alignment. The smectic B liquid crystal phase can exhibit three textures, the homeotropic texture, the mosaic texture, and the focal-conic fan texture.
