NMR study of the long time, defect-controlled, magnetic reorientation of a nematic polymer liquid crystal

The magnetic field reorientation of an initially aligned sample of a nematic polymer liquid crystal was followed by proton NMR. Evolution to a metastable (banded) state was considered using a Rheo-NMR technique developed previously. Late stage reorientation was studied by taking into account the dynamics of defects following the formation of splay-bend walls. NMR spectra simulation allowed us to obtain the wall density as a function of time. This result, together with a defect-controlled wall dissolution model proposed by Rey [1], was used to complement the Rheo-NMR technique of measuring the viscoelastic parameters of nematic polymer liquid crystals.