Exploring Liquid Crystal Texture Analysis Through Linear Dichroism

Linear dichroism is a novel method for texture analysis and is used to measure the order parameter of liquid crystals. It determines the dichroic ratio by analyzing the maximum absorption of textural intensities polarized parallel and perpendicular to the optical axis. To capture liquid crystal textures as a function of temperature, a polarized optical microscope with an attached camera is employed under parallel and crossed polarizer conditions. This analysis adheres to the Beer-Lambert law, relating transmitted and absorbed textural intensities in liquid crystals. Here, we investigate nematic liquid crystals, specifically 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl and p-n-alkyl benzoic acid (where n = 8), using texture analysis to study their physical characteristics.