Untwisting of the helical superstructure in the cholesteric and chiral smectic C∗phases of cross-linked liquid-crystalline polymers by strain

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
It is possible to untwist reversibly the helical superstructure of elastomers with cholesteric and chiral smectic C∗phases by using strain. In that way a cholesteric structure can be transformed into a nematic structure and a chiral smectic C∗into a smectic C structure. The latter case is especially interesting because a structure without a macroscopic polarization (chiral smectic C∗) is transformed into one with a macroscopic polarization (smectic C like arrangement).