High-pressure investigation of the reentrant nematic - Bilayer-smectic-A transition

We find that certain cyano Schiff bases and cyanobiphenyls with alkyl or alkoxy end groups exhibiting a bilayer smectic-A phase also exhibit a reentrant nematic phase at high pressure. A tentative model of the bilayer smectic phase held in place via the attractive interaction of the alkyl or alkoxy chains accounts for most of our experimental results. © 1977 The American Physical Society.