The peculiar conoscopic figures and the V-shaped switching of the frustrated ferroelectric SmC^* phase

Abstract

The so-far developed liquid crystal materials for the V-shaped switching are identified to show in the bulk an apparently single ferrielectric phase. Questioning this identification, we have concluded that it is the frustrated ferroelectric SmC^* phase with peculiar conoscopic figures. Characteristically biased molecular rotation around the long axis causes a difficulty in deciding whether the melatopes emerge parallel or perpendicular to an applied electric field, and biaxial anchoring destabilizes the "SSFLC configurations" in thin ceils with polyimide aligning films.