title: Dielectric relaxation behavior of a liquid crystal showing an unusual type of antiferroelectric-ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase sequence.
abstract: The temperature and frequency dependent dielectric relaxation behavior of a liquid crystalline (S)-(+)-1-methylheptyl 4-[2-(4-alkoxyphenyl) thiophene-5-carbonylthiooxy] benzoate system is reported. Interesting successive antiferroelectric-ferroelectric-antiferroelectric (AF-FE-AF) phase transitions are observed in this system resembling the successive phase transitions observed in crystalline Rochelle salt. The smectic-C* (SmC*) to AF1 phase transition (around 103.0 degrees C) is first order in nature, predicted from the use of Orihara and Ishibashi theory. It is also found that a contribution of the ferroelectric SmC* phase ordering penetrates even in the antiferroelectric AF1 (SmC(*)(A)) and AF2 (SmC(*)(A)) phases very close to the SmC*-AF1 and SmC*-AF2 phase boundaries (critical regions). It is suggested that this type of mixing of AF and FE phases might cause surface induced ferroelectric- or ferroelectric-type ordering near the AF-FE phase transitions. A soft mode with Debye-type dispersion was observed in the SmA phase. The thermal behaviors of dielectric dispersion, absorption, and dielectric strength in different phases are also reported and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Solid State Physics Department, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Calcutta-700032, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kundu
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seed
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jákli