Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Optically Isotropic Liquid-Crystal Phase Of Bent-Core Molecules With Polar Nanostructure, Guangxun Liao, S. Stojadinovic, Gerhard Pelzl, Wolfgang Weissflog, Samuel N. Sprunt, Antal Jakli

Antal Jakli

We found that the optically isotropic (I-M) mesophase observed recently below the nematic phase of the bent-core liquid crystal 4-chlororesorcinol bis[4-(4-n-dodecyloxybenzoyloxy)benzoate] shows ferroelectric-type switching. Polarizing microscopic, electric current, dielectric, and dynamic light scattering studies lead us to propose that the I-M phase is composed of interconnected orthoconic racemic smectic (Sm-CaPF) nanodomains with random layer orientations. Near the nematic phase, where the polarization can be saturated by electric fields, the system responds in a fashion analogous to the granular structure of a magnetic spin glass-in particular, we observed that the relaxation back to the nonpoled structure follows a similar, inverse logarithmic …