Umadevi S, Jákli A, Sadashiva B K
Raman Research Institute, C. V. Raman Avenue, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore-560 080, India.
Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Soft Matter. 2006 Feb 15;2(3):215-222. doi: 10.1039/b515933d.
Three novel symmetrical bent-core compounds were synthesized where the terminal alkoxy linkages of the original bent-core mesogen forming a B phase was converted to -alkyl carboxylates. It is found that instead of the B phase, all three compounds exhibit a transition between B' and B mesophases. The physical and electro-optical properties have been investigated by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and electric field experiments. The higher temperature B' phase has been shown to exhibit bistable but analogous linear electro-optical switching without any observable polarization peak. We analyze two theoretical models and find that a local triclinic symmetry may be responsible for the unusual electro-optical switching.
