A nematic liquid crystal has a measured clearing (isotropic-nematic) temperature

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Condensed Matter, Materials & Soft Matter · Soft condensed matter · Soft condensed matter

Soft Matter at the Thermal Scale, Ch Nematic order and the isotropic-nematic transition

Problem

T_{\rm NI} = 314.0\,\mathrm{K}

. Maier-Saupe theory gives

k_BT_{\rm NI} = 0.2202\,U

, where

U

is the mean-field coupling energy. Calculate

U

in joules, in electron-volts, and in units of

k_BT

298\,\mathrm{K}

(where

k_BT = 4.11\times10^{-21}\,\mathrm{J}