title: Intercalated smectic a phases in banana-shaped liquid crystals with carbonate end groups.
abstract: Novel, symmetrical, bent-core mesogens, namely substituted 1,3-phenylenebis{4'-[(ethoxycarbonyl)oxy]-1,1'-biphenyl}-4-carboxylates, are prepared with carbonate groups at both ends of the molecules. The mesophase properties are investigated for different electron-donating and -withdrawing substituents connected to the central ring at different positions. These compounds exhibit nematic and/or smectic A intercalated (SmA(int)) mesophases. Electro-optical studies show a very significant electric-field-induced biaxiality that is fast (<1 ms) and large (0.03) associated with a high birefringence (0.33 at 500 nm, 10 V mum(-1) field) for the unsubstituted analogue. For one substance this effect is observable from above 100 degrees C down to room temperature. Such electric-field-induced biaxiality may find practical applications in fast electro-optic modulation devices.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest, Hungary. fodor@szfki.hu
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fodor-Csorba
authors.forename: Antal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jákli
authors.forename: Anikó
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vajda
authors.forename: S Krishna
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Doddamane S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Shankar Rao
authors.forename: Ronald Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Jiadi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galli