Topological Ferroelectric Bistability in a Polarization-Modulated Orthogonal Smectic Liquid Crystal

• We report a bent-core liquid crystal (LC) compound exhibiting two fluid smectic phases in which two-dimensional, polar, orthorhombic layers order into three-dimensional ferroelectric states. The lower-temperature phase has a uniform polarization field which responds in an analog fashion to applied electric field. The higher-temperature phase is a new smectic state with periodic undulation of the polarization, structurally modulated layers, and a bistable response to applied electric field which originates in the periodically splay-modulated bulk of the LC rather than by surface stabilization at the cell boundaries.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

achiral molecules

transition

phase

order

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)