title: Formation of a twisted synclinic structure by an antiferroelectric liquid crystal material with strong quadrupolar interlayer coupling.
abstract: Following the work of Rudquist et al. [J. Mater. Chem. 9, 1257 (1999)], the thresholdless mode exhibited by some devices filled with some antiferroelectric liquid crystal materials is widely accepted to be due to the formation of a twisted synclinic structure in the device. In this work, we consider under what circumstances this structure forms in preference to the expected anticlinic structure. We show that a strong polar interaction at the surfaces is a necessary but not sufficient condition, and that a strong quadrupolar component of the interlayer interaction is also required. Examination of the stability of the possible ground states reveals a simple explanation for the frequency and temperature dependent electro-optical properties that are observed experimentally, including priming.
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parry-Jones
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elston