title: Polar Switching in a Lyotropic Columnar Nematic Liquid Crystal Made of Bowl-Shaped Molecules.
abstract: A polar response in a lyotropic columnar nematic material is reported. The material accommodates bowl-shaped molecules with strong axial dipole moments in column segments without head-to-tail invariance. Optical second-harmonic-generation methods confirm that the nematic columns align unidirectionally under an applied electric field and the material develops remnant macroscopic polarization observable for hours. The switching takes place by a flip of the columns.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guilleme
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias -Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cavero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias -Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sierra
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48080, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Josu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48080, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: César L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Folcia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, UPV/EHU, 48080, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Etxebarria
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: González-Rodríguez
keywords: columnar nematic mesophases; ferroelectricity; lyotropics; second-harmonic generation; subphthalocyanines