Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 62, Nos. 5/6, 1991. p. 927-944.
This paper provides an overview of the static behavior of systems with partial orientational and positional ordering of the species. The understanding of the static behavior provides the foundation needed to understand the dynamic properties of such systems, which are described in more detail in other papers in this issue. More specifically, this paper provides an overview of the fact that species of different dimensions exhibit similar types of partial ordering of the species. This paper further provides an overview of liquid crystalline (LC) phases and molecules, including discussions of types of chemical structures (both rigid and semiflexible) in LC molecules (both nonpolymcric and polymeric); thermotropic and lyotropic LCs; nematic and multiplc smcctic LC phases; recntrant nematic LC phases; cholesteric LC phases and bluc phases; smectic crystal phases; columnar phases; micelles and lamellar LC structures; LC phase transitions; LC glasses; viscosities of LC phases; and dynamic textures and patterns in LC phases.