Gamma-radiation exposure-induced modifications in the thermal, dielectric, and electro-optical properties of two-room temperature antiferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures

ABSTRACT

The influence of different doses of gamma radiation on the phase transition temperatures, permittivity, conductivity, tilt angle, anchoring energy coefficients, spontaneous polarisation, rotational viscosity, and switching time of two-room temperature antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) mixtures has been investigated. At low radiation exposure, phase transition temperatures and optical tilt angles of the systems decrease slightly, but the effect is significant at high radiation doses. The permittivities as well as the ac and dc conductivities of the mixtures were significantly altered by γ-irradiation. Anchoring energy coefficients, spontaneous polarisation, rotational viscosity and switching time of the mixtures are shown to have a similar type of behaviour in both mixtures at low radiation doses, but their behaviour becomes random at higher levels of γ-irradiation.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• γ-irradiation
• room temperature AFLC mixture
• permittivity
• tilt angle
• spontaneous polarisation
• switching time

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Prof. Roman Dąbrowski, Military University of Technology, Poland, for supplying the LC compounds. We also thank Dr. Abhijit Saha, In-Charge of The Gamma-Radiation Facility, Kolkata Centre, UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, India, for irradiating the materials.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

PKM acknowledges funding from the University of North Bengal: Grant No. 164/R-2018(SF-17). This work is also partially financed by the UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Kolkata Centre, Govt. of India (Grant No. UGC-DAE-CSR-KC/CRS/19/IBMS08/002/1033); University Grants Commission-Department of Atomic Energy: Consortium for Scientific Research, Govt. of India [UGC-DAE-CSR-KC/CRS/19/IBMS08/002/1033]