ABSTRACT
The aim of the presented research was an assessment of an effect of chiral dopants on the physical and electro-optical properties of a ferroelectric smectic mixture which is a key factor of elaboration of working ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixtures of tailored properties, especially with the tilt angle value near 22.5° in a broad temperature range. Testing FLC mixtures were prepared using the common pyrimidine-based parent mixture F4 doped with three different chiral dopants. The thermal characteristic of the optical tilt angle
, tilt angle calculated by means of X-ray diffraction method
, spontaneous polarisation
and layer spacing
of obtained FLC mixtures were studied. Based on the above measurements and computer calculations, the relationship between spontaneous polarisation
and tilt angle
was discussed. Electro-optical performance of the Surface Stabilised Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (SSFLC) structures was observed. The relation between the molecular properties of chiral dopants and the electro-optical and physical properties of obtained FLC mixtures is considered in frames of the extended microscopic model of the spontaneous polarisation in FLCs.
Graphical abstract
![](/cms/asset/69879e0d-c260-4dd7-80f9-609a60d4524a/tlct_a_1613689_uf0001_b.gif)
Acknowledgments
The work was partially supported by the Ministry of National Defence Republic of Poland Program - Research Grant MUT Project 13-995 and MUT University Grant RMN 08-691.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.