Pressure-induced change in orientational order of solutes in liquid crystals

The 1H and 2H NMR spectroscopy of the nematic liquid crystal ZLI 1132 containing small amounts of the solutes 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene and acetone was investigated as a function of the pressure of a mixture of molecular hydrogen and deuterium gases above the sample. A general increase of solute orientational order with pressure was observed. Differences in behavior of the orientational order of the hydrogens compared to the other solutes are discussed.