Probable Langevin-like director reorientation in an interface-induced disordered SmC*-like state of liquid crystals characterized by frustration between ferro- and antiferroelectricity.
To clarify the thresholdless, hysteresis free V-shaped switching due to frustration between ferro- and antiferroelectricity, we have studied a prototype binary mixture system. The apparent orientational order parameters, <P2> and <P4>, obtained from polarized Raman scattering in thin homogeneous cells indicate that substrate interfaces induce some randomization of local in-plane directors at the tip of the V. Their correlation lengths, xi( parallel) approximately 3.5 nm and xi( perpendicular) approximately 75 nm, have been estimated by assuming the Langevin-like reorientation. Because of the much shorter xi(parallel) and xi(perpendicular) than the visible light wavelength, the switching process looks uniform.
Hayashi
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Institute for Molecular Science, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.
Kato
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Aoki
T
T
Ando
T
T
Fukuda
A
A
Seomun
S S
SS