Cybotactic-Clustering Mediates Phase Transitions in a Diastereomerically-controlled Ferroelectric Nematic System

Abstract

A ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal (NFLC) has vast potential because of a giant dielectric permittivity (> 103), large spontaneous polarization (> 4 μC cm−2), high fluidity etc. However, it remains a big challenge to control the NF phase transition and drive the NF phase over a wide temperature range. Herein, we report a new concept based on the dipole equivalent for tuning the NF phase transition and their plausible effect on the cluster formation. Especially, we deeply discuss the alternation of the NF phase transition in terms of cybotactic cluster formation experimentally and computationally.