Bulk reorientation driven by orientational transition in a liquid crystal monolayer

Abstract
Optical second-harmonic generation has been used to study the effect of coadsorbed small volatile molecules on the orientational order of a liquid crystal monolayer at the interface between a mica surface and a liquid crystal film. As the chemical potential of the volatile molecules was increased, a first-order orientational transition was observed in the monolayer. This surface transition is shown to drive the reorientation of the bulk liquid crystal previously observed in these systems.