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Competition between ferroelectric and flexoelectric polarization in freely suspended smectic films

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The European Physical Journal B - Condensed Matter and Complex Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract:

We report a detailed ellipsometric study of freely suspended films of chiral liquid-crystal compounds possessing smectic-A and smectic-C phases. In the temperature region between the smectic-A - smectic-C bulk and surface transitions, a discontinuous reconstruction of the tilt profile across the film is observed in the presence of a constant d.c. electric field. Comparison of the measured ellipsometric quantities with values calculated from model tilt profiles reveals a competition between a structure possessing a homogeneous tilt direction and large ferroelectric polarization and a structure with opposite tilt direction in the two film halfs and large flexoelectric polarization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physical Chemistry, University Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany, , , , , , DE

    D. Schlauf & C. Bahr

  2. Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow District, Russia, , , , , , RU

    V.K. Dolganov

  3. School of Chemistry, The University, Hull HU6 7RX, UK, , , , , , GB

    J.W. Goodby

Authors
  1. D. Schlauf
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  2. C. Bahr
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  3. V.K. Dolganov
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  4. J.W. Goodby
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Received 21 October 1998

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Schlauf, D., Bahr, C., Dolganov, V. et al. Competition between ferroelectric and flexoelectric polarization in freely suspended smectic films. Eur. Phys. J. B 9, 461–469 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050787

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050787

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