抄録
Banana-shaped molecules have been synthesized and their electro-optical properties were investigated. The molecules are non-chiral, but the liquid crystals show ferroelectric and circular dichroism. Ferroelectricity could be detected in the SmAb and the SmHb phases. On the basis of the texture observation and the circular dichroism of scattered light, we elucidated the existence of helices in the SmAb and the Smblue phases.
