title: Evidence for a new ferroelectric switching liquid crystalline phase formed by a carbosilane based dendrimer with banana-shaped mesogenic units.
abstract: The first carbosilane dendrimer with peripheral bent-core mesogenic units is reported. This material forms a liquid crystalline phase which is stable over a wide temperature range and forms an LC glass on cooling. Polarizing microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and dielectric and electrooptic investigations reveal the presence of a novel liquid crystalline phase, in which the molecules are tilted and adapt a polar order within the layers, but without long-range correlation between the layers. By applying external electric fields, switching into a ferroelectric organization can be achieved. Once formed the ferroelectric states are stable and can be switched between the different polarization states.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Kurt-Mothes Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle, Germany.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dantlgraber
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: Siegmar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diele
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kresse
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lühmann
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tschierske