Analysis of local structures of bent-core liquid crystals by X-ray microbeam diffraction

Abstract

Bent-core liquid crystals exhibit characteristic smectic phases, B1~B8. The B1 phase has a two dimensional modulated structure, and two types models are proposed; a molecular bending plane is parallel (B1) or normal (B1rev) to the modulated plane. In this paper, we will report X-ray results of the B1 phase in a proto-type bent-core liquid crystal, P-6-OPIMB. Based on the results obtained from the uniform B1 domain before and during the applying field using x-ray microbeam diffraction, we concluded that the B1 phase of P-6-OPIMB is B1rev. The molecular orientational order in the B1 phase will be also discussed.