Investigation of thermodynamic and surface characterisation of 4-[4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoic acid thermotropic liquid crystal by inverse gas chromatography

The inverse gas chromatography method was used to obtain thermodynamic and surface properties of the thermotropic liquid crystalline material, 4-[4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoic acid (EBBA). The retention diagrams of undecane, dodecane, tridecane, ethyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, iso-butyl acetate, toluene, ethylbenzene, iso-propylbenzene, n-propylbenzene and chlorobenzene on EBBA were plotted at temperatures between 443.2 and 468.2 K. The specific retention volume, , Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, , equation-of-state interaction parameter, , and effective exchange energy parameter, , were determined. The dispersive component of the surface free energy, , of the studied adsorbent surface was estimated using retention times of different nonpolar organic solvents in the infinite dilution region. The specific free energy of adsorption, the enthalpy of adsorption, , and the entropy of adsorption, , of solvents on liquid crystal were determined. The values of were correlated with the donor and the a...