No abstract

The authors observe an electric-field-induced structural transition in the B1 columnar liquid crystalline phase at surprisingly low field strengths in a bent-core liquid crystal material with asymmetric alkyl chains. A possible B1 to B2 transition at applied electric fields of 10V∕μm is observed. After this E-field-induced transition, switching is observed at much lower voltages, down to a fraction of a V∕μm. This study is based on polarized microscopy, electro-optical studies, and differential scanning calorimetry.

A chiral, nonracemic ester with a bent‐core molecular architecture (see figure) has been synthesized and evaluated for mesomorphic behavior and physical properties. The compound has a low melting point, a chiral smectic C phase with a wide temperature range, and it shows an unusually high tilt angle at a very low value of spontaneous polarization. However, the most significant aspect of the compound is the helical structure of the smectic A phase.