A broad band antiferroelectric liquid crystalline mixture: Physical properties

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Abstract
We present a multicomponent antiferroelectric liquid crystalline mixture exhibiting the antiferroelectric SmCa* phase in a broad temperature range from 35°C up to 107°C. Further, the antiferroelectric phase can easily be supercooled so that, for practical purposes, measurements and investigations can be performed at room temperature. Important physical parameters of the mixture such as the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric state, the apparent tilt angle and the parameter characteristics of the double hysteresis have been investigated. At room temperature the saturated polarization and the tilt angle have been found to reach values of about 150 nC cm−2 and 30°, respectively. Furthermore a very fast linear electrooptic effect exhibiting switching times about 15 μs at room temperature has been observed at electric field strength below the threshold field for switching to the ferroelectric state.