Molecular Structures and the Induction of the Orthoconic Properties in Antiferroelectric Liquid Crystals

Abstract

Smectic Antiferroelectric Liquid Crystals (AFLC) could offer simpler solutions for high demanding applications than commonly known Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals (FLCs). Among all known AFLCs those exhibiting extremely high molecular tilt, reaching 45°, called Orthoconic AFLCs (OAFLCs), seems to be most promising for display and photonic applications. OAFLCs are still rather rare kind of AFLC phase and are most frequently exhibited by compounds belonging to homologous series of smectogens incorporating terphenyl, biphenyl benzoate and phenyl biphenylate molecular rigid cores with a fluorinated aliphatic terminal chain. Such parameters like the molecular shape and the molecular dipole moment obtained by using of the computer aided molecular modelling promoting the OAFLC phase induction are presented and discussed.

Keywords:

• Orthoconic antiferroelectric smectic liquid crystals
• molecular dipole moment
• high tilted smectic
• helical pitch

Acknowledgment

This work was supported from funds of Polish MNiSW for science at years 2008–2010 under grant KBN No. N N 507 445034 (PBG 12-427/2008 at MUT)).