Novel liquid-crystal phase-transition behavior at the chiral nematicsmectic-A–smectic-Cpoint

Abstract
New phenomenology of the chiral nematic (N), smectic-A (A), ferroelectric smectic-C (C) point (NAC) is reported in a binary mixture of two chiral components. We find a tricritical point on the AC phase-transition line which is displaced from the NAC point, and an NA line which is first order. At the NAC point all three transitions (NA,AC,NC) are first order, making it a triple point. The results suggest ways to generate a variety of additional new NAC behavior.