Effect of molecular structure on the ferroelectric nematic phase formation

Abstract

We reported that a fluorine-based liquid crystal compound having a 1,3-dioxane skeleton (C3DIO) showed an extremely large dielectric anisotropy of 10,000 or more in the ferroelectric nematic phase (NF phase). However, the relationship between the chemical structure and the appearance of NF phase is unclear. In this study, we attempted to identify the factors that contribute to the appearance of the NF phase by synthesizing analogous compounds with systematic changes in the structure of C3DIO, evaluating their physical properties, and performing quantum chemistry calculations. As a result, it was suggested that the dipole moment along the long axis is an important factor for the NF phase formation.