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Multiple ferroelectric nematic phases of a highly polar liquid crystal compound.

ORAL

Abstract

Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals represent not only interesting fundamental science, but they also hold promise for storage capacitors with high power density or new information display technology having sub-millisecond switching. In this work we describe the synthesis and measurements of the physical properties of a new highly polar ferroelectric nematic compound, 4-nitrophenyl 4-[(2,4-dimethoxylbenzoyl)oxy]-2-fluorobenzoate (RT11001). We employ a wide range of physical characterization methods including differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), mass density measurement, optical birefringence, polarizing optical microscopy (POM), dielectric spectroscopy, electric current analysis, electro-optical switching, small-angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering measurements to show that RT11001 has three distinct ferroelectric states, NF1, N­F2 and NF3. The  phase is characterized by a polar nematic fluid medium and non-polar smectic clusters. The  is also a polar nematic continuum but with polar smectic clusters. The phase differs from the  phase by the volume of the polar clusters that increases in as evidenced by a broad DSC peak observed on cooling.

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Publication: Submitted to the Journal of material chemistry C

Presenters

  • Rony Saha

    Department of Physics and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

Authors

  • Rony Saha

    Department of Physics and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

  • Pawan Nepal

    Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

  • Chenrun Feng

    Kent State University, Materials Science Graduate Program and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Md Sakhawat Hossain

    Materials Science Graduate Program and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute,Kent State U

  • Masafumi Fukuto

    Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Ruipeng Li

    Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • James T. Gleeson

    Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

  • Samuel Sprunt

    Department of Physics and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

  • Robert J. Twieg

    Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA, Kent State University

  • Antal I Jakli

    Kent State University, Department of Physics, Materials Science Graduate Program and Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA