Symmetries and induced effects in bilayer and multilayer antiferroelectric and ferrielectric liquid crystal phases.
The stable antiferroelectric and ferrielectric smectic phases which may arise below a chiral SmA* phase are investigated theoretically. The symmetry and physical properties of the bilayer and multilayer configurations are worked out. Antiferroelectric and ferrielectric bilayer and multilayer configurations, possessing an induced spontaneous ferroelectric polarization component perpendicular to the smectic layers, are shown to take place, as the result of a nonlinear piezoelectric effect. These states of low polar symmetries occur when the angle between the inlayer projections of the dipoles and the director of the molecules is different from 90 degrees.
Tolédano
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Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 66318, 05315-970, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Figueiredo Neto
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Boulbitch
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Roy
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