title: Self-assembled uniaxial and biaxial multilayer structures in chiral smectic liquid crystals frustrated between ferro- and antiferroelectricity.
abstract: With a view to obtain a molecular model for the subphases produced by the frustration between ferro- and antiferroelectricity in chiral smectic liquid crystals, we report results on two compounds and observe (i) the staircase character of uniaxial Sm C(*)(alpha) itself in the bulk and (ii) the multipeaked characteristic reflection bands due to the modulated helical structures just above the Sm C(*)(A) temperature range. We suggest the emergence of several uniaxial and biaxial subphases. The results show that both types of subphases can be specified by q(T) = [F] / ( [A] + [F] ) in the zero-order approximation; [A] and [F] are the numbers of antiferroelectric and ferroelectric orderings in the unit cell. We consider the basis of both types of subphases, particularly the description of the short-pitch helical structure of Sm C(*)(alpha), in terms of the molecular models so far proposed and emphasize the important role played by the discrete flexoelectric polarization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Panov
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Shtykov
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Vij
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hird
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Goodby