Polar switching in the smectic- A(d)P(A) phase composed of asymmetric bent-core molecules.

We have studied mesogenic properties in the smectic- A(d)P(A) phase of an asymmetric bent-core liquid crystal by means of polarizing optical microscopy, second-harmonic generation (SHG), electro-optical (EO), and dielectric measurements. In homeotropically aligned cells, EO switching is clearly observed from a schlieren texture with both four- and two-brush defects to a uniform bright domain under the application of very low in-plane electric field below 1 V/microm. The phase is SHG active under an electric field, i.e., SHG gradually increases without a threshold and saturates with the increasing field. In homogeneous cells, by applying triangular wave field at saturated voltage, the splitting of the polarization switching current peak is observed, indicating that the mesophase is antiferroelectric. The dielectric studies indicate a Debye-type relaxation of the transverse dipoles associated with the rotation of the molecules about their long axis. The dc bias-dependent dielectric relaxation time and the dielectric strength suggest that a field-induced antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition occurs continuously beyond 1.2 V/microm and is reversible. The field-dependent texture observation is consistent with the dielectric measurements. Two possible models are proposed to interpret the continuous phase transition.

Alternating twist structures formed by electroconvection in the nematic phase of an achiral bent-core molecule.

We report an unusual electroconvection in the nematic phase of a bent-core liquid crystal. In a voltage-frequency diagram, two frequency regions exhibiting prewavy stripe patterns were found, as reported by Wiant We found that these stripes never show extinction dark when cells were rotated under crossed polarizers. Based on the color interchange in between neighboring stripes by the rotation of the cells or an analyzer, twisted molecular orientation is suggested; i.e., the directors are alternately twisted from the top to the bottom surfaces with a pretilt angle in adjacent stripes, which is an analogue of the twisted (splayed) structure observed in surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cells. The transmittance spectra calculated using the 4x4 matrix method from the model structure are consistent with the experimental observation.

Several types of bilayer smectic liquid crystals with ferroelectric and antiferroelectric properties in binary mixture of dimeric compounds.

The mesomorphic behavior and phase structure were examined in the mixture of two kinds of dimeric compounds, alpha,omega-bis(4-alkoxyanilinebenzylidene-4'-carbonyloxy)pentane (mOAM5AMOm), by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, polarization switching, and second-harmonic generation measurements. One compound is 4OAM5AMO4 with a short terminal alkyl chain that forms a single-layer smectic phase (SmCAs) with a random mixing of spacer and tail groups. Another compound is 16OAM5AMO16 with a long terminal alkyl chain that forms a chiral, anticlinic, and antiferroelectric bilayer phase (SmCAb) with the bent molecules tilted to the bilayer. By mixing these two compounds, the SmCAs phase of 4OAM5AMO4 is easily destabilized, leading to the wide content region of the bilayer phases. In the bilayer regime, three other smectic phases are newly induced. Two of them are antiferroelectric and ferroelectric phases in which the molecules lie perpendicularly with respect to the layer. The other shows no polar response to an external electric field and behaves like a smectic A. The new appearance of these bilayer phases is discussed as a mixing effect of long and short tail groups.

Electric-field-induced polar biaxial order in a nontilted smectic phase of an asymmetric bent-core liquid crystal.

A polarization reorientation process has been studied by means of optical second-harmonic generation in an optically uniaxial smectic phase of an asymmetric bent-core liquid crystal. A nontilted polar smectic order with a biaxial order is induced by applying an electric field to the uniaxial nonpolar smectic phase. This phenomenon was well simulated by the two-dimensional Langevin process, i.e., electric-field-induced continuous molecular reorientation against thermal agitation. The simulation suggests that about 200s of molecules form a polar domain and cooperatively respond to the applied field. The existence of the polar domains and their reorientation are consistent to the dielectric measurement; a high dielectric constant of about 60 at the kHz range is markedly suppressed by applying a bias field.

Polar order in columnar phase made of polycatenar bent-core molecules.

Columnar phases made of polycatenar molecules with bent-shaped mesogenic cores are studied. The polar order in this system is associated with the change of the column building blocks from flat disks (Colh phase) into cones (Colh PA phase), which allows for axial polarization of the columns. The nature of the Colh and Colh PA phase transition changes from first order for short homologues to continuous for the longest one. This can be attributed to decreasing intercolumnar interactions due to broadening of the columnar scaffold made of partially melted terminal alkyl chains. Decrease of intercolumnar interactions is also responsible for a strong increase of the pretransitional fluctuations in the Colh phase. The mesophase observed for the longest homologues is reminiscent of the relaxor phase observed for solid crystals.

Odd-even behavior of ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity in two homologous series of bent-core mesogens.

Two chiral bent-core mesogens Pn-O-PIMB(n - 2)* (n = 9 and 10) and their oxygen analogues Pn-O-PIMB(n - 2)*-(n - 4)O (n = 8, 9, and 10) with omega-[(S)-amyloxy]alkoxy terminal groups were prepared, and their phase structures were investigated by means of electro-optic, polarization reversal current and second harmonic generation measurements in order to clarify the effect of the interlayer steric interaction on the emergence of polar orderings. The odd-even behavior for the alternative appearance of ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity was observed in two homologous series; the bent-core mesogens P10-O-PIMB8*, P8-O-PIMB6*-4O, and P10-O-PIMB8*-6O in addition to the previously reported P6-O-PIMB4* and P8-O-PIMB6*, where the length of chains n is even, exhibited ferroelectric phases. On the contrary, the mesogens P7-O-PIMB5*, P9-O-PIMB7*, and P9-O-PIMB7*-5O, where n is odd, showed antiferroelectric phases. It is obvious that the interlayer steric interaction plays a major role for the emergence of a variety of phase structures.