Observation of the de Vries behavior in SmA* phase of a liquid crystal using polarised Raman scattering and infrared spectroscopy

Observation of “de Vries-like” properties in bent-core molecules

“de Vries” liquid crystals, defined by a maximum layer shrinkage of ≤1% from the smectic A to C phase transition, are an integral component of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) displays. Bona fide de Vries materials described in the literature are primarily perfluorinated, polysiloxane and polysilane-terminated rod-like (or calamitic) LCs. Herein, for the first time, we report a series of newly designed achiral unsymmetrical bent-core molecules with terminal alkoxy chains exhibiting similar properties to “de Vries” LCs. The new molecular structure is based on the systematic distribution of four phenyl rings attached via ester and imine linkers having 3-amino-2-methylbenzoic acid as the central core with a bent angle of 147°. Detailed microscopic investigations in differently aligned (planar as well as homeotropic) cells along with SAXS/WAXS studies revealed that the materials exhibited a SmA–SmC phase sequence along with the appearance of the nematic phase at higher temperatures. SAXS measurements divulged the layer spacings (d-spacings) and hence, the layer shrinkage was calculated ranging from 0.19% to 0.68% just below the SmA–SmC transition. The variation of the calculated molecular tilt angle (α) derived from the temperature-dependent SAXS data, followed the power law with exponent values 0.29 ± 0.01 and 0.25 ± 0.01 for compounds 1/10 and 1/12, respectively. The experimental values obtained were very close to the theoretically predicted values for the materials with de Vries-like properties. The analysis of temperature-dependent birefringence studies based on the prediction of the Landau theory, showed a dip across the SmA–SmC phase transition typical of compounds exhibiting the de Vries characteristics. The collective results obtained suggest “de Vries” SmA as a probable model for this bent-core system which may find applications in displays.

A simple molecular design of unsymmetrical bent-core molecules exhibiting low layer shrinkage and a dip in the birefringence at the SmA–SmC phase transition, typical characteristics of “de Vries” liquid crystals.

Molecular biaxiality determines the helical structure - infrared measurements of the molecular order in the nematic twist-bend phase of difluoro terphenyl dimer

Fourier-transform infrared polarized spectroscopy was employed, to obtain the three components of the infrared absorbance for a series of bent-shaped dimers containing double fluorinated terphenyl core (DTC5Cn, n = 5, 7, 9, 11). The data were used to calculate both uniaxial and biaxial order parameters, for various molecular groups of dimers. The molecule bend was estimated based on the observed differences between the uniaxial order parameters for the terphenyl core and central hydrocarbon linker. The orientational order, distinctly reverses its monotonic trend of increase to decrease at the transition temperature, from the uniaxial nematic to the twist-bend nematic phase as result of the director tilt in latter/(twist-bend) phase. The molecular biaxiality, which is negligible in the nematic phase, starts increasing on entering the twist-bend nematic phase, following a sin-square relationships with the tilt angle. The local director curvature is found to be controlled by the molecular biaxiality parameter.

Molecular orientational distribution function of a chiral de Vries smectic liquid crystal from birefringence measurements

An alternative method for determining the orientational distribution function and the order parameter from the electric field-induced birefringence measurements of a chiral liquid crystal compound in its Smectic A^* is being introduced. A chiral mesogen based on a 5-phenyl-pyrimidine benzoate core terminated by a trisiloxane group on one side and the chiral alkyloxy chain on its opposite side is designed and synthesized to exhibit the "de Vries" smectic characteristics. The compound exhibits first order Smectic A^*-Smectic C^* phase transition, evidenced by the results of differential scanning calorimetry. The material is being investigated by electro-optical experiment in its smectic phases. We present a model that incorporates the generalised Langevin-Debye model which includes the Maier-Saupe effective mean-field potential term in order to explain the change in birefringence with the electric field. A good agreement between the experimental results and the predictions from the model leads to the determination of the molecular orientational distribution function in Smectic A phase. Furthermore, the temperature dependency of the Saupe orientational order parameter ⟨P₂⟩ is obtained using the parameters of the model. Based on the experimental and theoretical results, we show that de Vries Smectic A^* phase exhibits a broad volcano-like tilt angle distribution with the two maxima occurring at finite tilt angles closer to the Smectic A^*-Smectic C^* transition temperature, and a sugarloaf-like distribution occurs in the tilt for temperatures close to the Isotropic-Smectic A^* phase transition.

Soft modes of the dielectric response in the twist–bend nematic phase and identification of the transition to a nematic splay bend phase in the CBC7CB dimer

Two collective processes resulting from distortion of the heliconical structure of the twist–bend nematic phase of an achiral dimer: one tilt mode due to distortions of the conical angle and second related to long range fluctuation of the cone phase.