Molecular rotation and conformational transitions studied by 2H NMR in a smectogen

We present a quantitative analysis of the spectral density data from the core and chain deuterons in the liquid crystal p-hexyloxybenzylidene-p′-fluoroaniline. The unusually small J1(ω)/J2(2ω) ratio for the methylene deuterons near the core in the highly ordered smectic B phase is reproduced using a decoupled model for correlated internal bond rotations in the chain.