Abstract
New ferroelectric compounds have been prepared by the esterification of 4-alkoxy-2,2′,4′-trihydroxybenzala-zines with R-2-chloropropanoyl chloride obtained from L(+)-lactic acid. These substances exhibit chiral smectic C phase and smectic A and their phase transition temperatures and enthalpies were determined. A preliminary characterization of the ferroelectric properties of these compounds has been carried out by studying their response times as a function of temperature at several voltages.