The Effect of Polymer Stabilization on Phase Transitions in a Series of Antiferroelectric Heterocyclic Esters

ABSTRACT

We used optical Bragg reflections to study the effects of photo-polymer networks on the phase transitions of four heterocyclic esters that exhibit various frustrated chiral smectic phases. When polymerization is carried out in the SmC* phase, this phase is stabilized at the expense of the intermediate phases. However, in non-radiated samples, which contained traces of the polymer, the intermediate phases are stabilized at the expense of the SmC* phase. The wavelengths selectively reflected by the SmC*_A phase are longer than those reflected by the SmC* phase and the stability of the SmC*_A is unaffected by polymerization.

Keywords:

• antiferroelectric
• Bragg reflection
• phase transitions
• polymer stabilization