Adiabatic scanning calorimetric results for the blue phases of cholesteryl nonanoate

Abstract

An adiabatic scanning calorimeter has been used to study the thermal behavior of the liquid-crystal cholesteryl nonanoate in a temperature range covering all phase transitions involving the three different blue phases occurring in this substance. Results for the temperature dependence of the enthalpy and the heat capacity are reported. It is found that all three of the blue phases are thermodynamically stable and that all the phase transitions observed are first order.