Spontaneously created ring structures in free-standing liquid crystal films and their dependence on temperature and material parameters

Abstract

A rotating electric field can induce a spontaneous formation of ring structures in free-standing ferroelectric liquid crystal films. A phase delay between the field rotation and the director movement on the smectic cone is the reason for the ring creation. The appearance of these structures depends on the field parameters, on the material parameters of the liquid crystal compound used, and on the temperature. The temperature dependence of the pattern formation and of material parameters (spontaneous polarization, rotational viscosity, pitch) have been investigated in more detail. It could be shown that the rotational viscosity of the liquid crystal is the most important parameter with respect to the influence of temperature. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical interpretation of the ring formation.