Experiments of flexoelectric coefficients estimation for nematic liquid crystals based on the transmission ellipsometry

Abstract

Measurement method of flexoelectric coefficients based on the transmission ellipsometry has reached a practical level for nematic liquid crystals (NLCs). It is considered that one of the possible reasons why reliable measurement has not been performed so far is the ionic pollution of NLC. It was concluded that two flexoelectric coefficients for splay and bend deformation can be determined at a practical level of reliability with one liquid crystal sample cell by devising the electrodes and the surface NLC alignment.