A Bent and Asymmetrically Hindered Chiral Alkyl Chain in Smectic-A Phase of an Antiferroelectric Liquid Crystal as Observed by ²H-NMR

Abstract

The structure and dynamics of the alkyl chains are investigated by ²H-NMR for specifically deuterated samples of an antiferroelectric chiral smectic liquid crystal MHPOBC. The ²H-NMR spectrum for the chiral alkyl chain exhibits very small quadrupolar splittings, and the methylenes close to the chiral center give double splittings ascribable to two different quadrupolar splittings for each methylene unit. The unusual nature of the chiral chain is revealed; the chain is bent from the molecular long axis, and is asymmetrically hindered.