Dynamic behaviour of a ferro-electric liquid crystal by means of nuclear magnetic resonance and dielectric spectroscopy

Abstract

The field of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Science of Materials for their interesting electro-optic applications. Among different chemical and physical properties those related to the molecular dynamics are very stimulating due to the relationship between molecular motions and macroscopic response to external fields, such as electric and magnetic ones. In this work, the molecular dynamics of a ferroelectric smectogen, namely the (S)-2-methylbutyl-[4'-(4"-heptyloxyphenyl)-benzoyl-4-oxy-(S)-2-((S)-2')-benzoyl)-propionyl)]-propionate (<b>ZLL</b> 7/*) has been investigated by means of ²H NMR and dielectric relaxation techniques. The first method allows us to get information on the molecular motions in the fast motion regime, in particular the diffusion reorientational motions of the whole molecule, as well as of the internal motions affecting the phenyl and biphenyl fragments. The second technique, which covers the slow motion regime, has been used to detect collective motions and fluctuation modes. This study allows us to have a complete idea of molecular motions in the different smectic phases formed by the <b>ZLL</b> 7/* mesogens, in particular the paraelectric smectic A (SmA), the ferroelectric smectic C* (SmC*), the antiferroelectric smectic C*_A (SmC*_A) and the re-entrant ferroelectric smectic C* (SmC*_r) phases. This last phase has been investigated for the first time in this work, from the point of view of the dynamic behaviour. All results will be discussed in the framework of the molecular dynamics of ferroelectric liquid crystals, reported in the literature so far.