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Pretransitional Fluctuations In The Isotropic Phase Of A Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal, Yuriy A. Nastishin, Sergij V. Shiyanovskii, Oleg Lavrentovich, A. F. Kostko, M. A. Anisimov

Oleg Lavrentovich

We have studied isotropic-to-nematic pretransitional fluctuations in an aqueous solution of disodium cromoglycate (cromolyn) by static and dynamic light scattering. Cromolyn is a representative of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals with building units being elongated rods formed by aggregates of disk-like molecules. By combining light-scattering and viscosity measurements we have determined the correlation length and relaxation time of the orientational order-parameter fluctuations and estimated the size of the cromolyn aggregates. The pretransitional behavior of light scattering does not completely follow the classic Landau-de Gennes model. This feature is most probably associated with the variable length of cromolyn aggregates. We have observed …