Polymorphism and chevron layer structure of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal studied by X-ray diffraction

Abstract:

We report X-ray diffraction experiments performed on an antiferroelectric compound exhibiting a very rich polymorphism ($({S_{I*A}} - {S_{C*A}} - {S_{C*FI1}} - {S_{C*FI2}} - {S_{C*}} - {S_{C*\alpha }} - {S_A})$). The structural study of the unknown phases only allows us to exclude some phenomenological models. The use of oriented planar samples prepared between solid glass plates generate by cooling from the S_A phase a chevron structure of tilted layers already well characterized for the S_C* phase. The extensive analysis of the evolution of the chevron structure through the numerous smectic-smectic phase transitions provides some original information in three distinct areas: fundamental data on the important physical parameters in the chevron structure formation, detection of the smectic-smectic phases transition by small change of the chevron structure, and information on the local molecular order induced by the alignment layer (interaction with a rubbed polymer).