Smectic layers reorientation with stripes and heliconical structure in surface stabilised ferroelectric liquid crystal

ABSTRACT

High-tilt angle ferroelectric liquid crystal material in surface stabilised geometry (SSFLC) is investigated for the smectic layer reorientation and its molecular dynamics by electro-optical and dielectric spectroscopy techniques. Smectic layer reorientation (5${ }^o$ to 45${ }^o$) is obtained by controlled cooling rate and applying electric field in the vicinity of transition temperature from chiral nematic ($N^{\ast }$) to chiral smectic C ($\mathit{Sm}{C}^{\ast }$) phase. After slow cooling down to room temperature, the stripe domain textures along the rubbing are observed with quasi-bistable states. Dielectric spectroscopy has revealed the unusual increment in the dielectric permittivity. A dielectric relaxation process at lower frequency than Goldstone mode with the increase in DC bias up to 2 $\mathit{V}$ is observed in the sample cooled without any bias. This increment is found to be originated by the heliconical structure within the stripes which is seen in the optical textures recorded at the time of dielectric scan. However, this increment is not observed in the sample cooled under DC bias. Thus, there exist different phenomena in the high tilt angle SSFLC sample cooled in different conditions of DC bias; stripe domains, smectic layers reorientation, heliconical stricture and twisted structure within stripes which are significant to explore deeply in high-tilt angle ferroelectric liquid crystals.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Ferroelectric liquid crystal
• high-tilt angle
• stripe domains
• dielectric spectroscopy
• electro-optical

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Director, Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi for his continuous encouragement in the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02678292.2023.2287017.