Examination of three new fluorinated tilted smectics

Abstract

We present the results of the study of three fluorinated mesogens with three aromatic rings and different length of alkyl chain. The investigated substances might be of interest for using in technical devices. Calorimetric, dielectric and electro-optical properties were examined. Special attention was paid to the dependence of the first and second harmonics of the electrooptic response on temperature. It is shown that the analysis of the light modulation depth of the first and second harmonics prove to be useful for the identification of phase transition.

Keywords:

• smectics
• ferroelectric liquid crystal
• antiferroelectric liquid crystal
• electrooptical effects

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the funds for science in the years 2010–2013 as a research project.