INVESTIGATION OF UNIAXIAL AND BIAXIAL LYOTROPIC NEMATIC PHASE TRANSITIONS BY MEANS OF DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING

Abstract

Lyotropic nematic textures are investigated, by image processing, near the reentrant isotropic (IRE)–discotic nematic (ND)–biaxial nematic (NB)–clamitic nematic (NC)–isotropic (I) phase transitions in a lyotropic mixture of potassium laurate, decanol, and D2O. The (NB), intermediate phase between the two uniaxial nematic ones, is characterized by optical birefringence measurements and discussed in terms of structural changes in the image frame by means of an adequate statistical approach. PACS: 61.30.-v, 64.70.Md, 42.65.Jx