Intermolecular and interlayer interaction in chiral smectic-C liquid crystals

Abstract

The molecular and interlayer interactions in smectic-C phases have been investigated in detail. This topic is one of the less well established subjects in the field of liquid crystals. Various new physical phenomena were observed and interpreted. 1. Molecular short axis ordering in the SmC* phase is investigated by using a new experimental method, tilted conoscopy. It is found that the direction of the average molecular short axis is along the tilt direction in some liquid crystal materials and is normal to the tilt-plane in the other materials. The molecular ordering strongly affects the temperature dependence of the macroscopic biaxiality of the phase, and a sign reversal in the biaxiality as a function of temperature is found in those materials having the average molecular short axis normal to the tilt-plane.