The mixing effect of ionic liquids on the flexoelectric polarization of ferroelectric liquid crystals

Abstract

It was found that the helical pitch in the SmC* phase becomes shorter when an ionic liquid is mixed with a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC). Based on the phenomenological theory related to the SmA-SmC phase transition by Pikin & Indenbom, related physical parameters to the helical pitch are considered to be the elastic constant, the spontaneous polarization, the tilt angle, the flexoelectric coefficient, and so on. Hence, we evaluated these physical properties experimentally, and discussed the mixing effect of ionic liquids on the helical pitch of FLCs.