title: Transitions between paraelectric and ferroelectric phases of bent-core smectic liquid crystals in the bulk and in thin freely suspended films.
abstract: We report on the contrasting phase behavior of a bent-core liquid crystal with a large opening angle between the mesogenic units in the bulk and in freely suspended films. Second-harmonic generation experiments and direct observation of director inversion walls in films in an applied electric field reveal that the nonpolar smectic C phase observed in bulk samples becomes a ferroelectric "banana" phase in films, showing that a mesogen with a small steric moment can give a phase with polar order in freely suspended films even when the corresponding bulk phase is paraelectric.
authors.affiliation: Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, ANP, D-39016 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eremin
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Floegel
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kornek
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stannarius
authors.forename: Hajnalka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nádasi
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog
authors.forename: Chenhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yongqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Cheol Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maclennan
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D044367:Phase Transition; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*; D013535:Suspensions / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013535:Suspensions