Investigations on the field-induced switching behaviour in an antiferroelectric liquid crystal

The switching currents and field-induced apparent tilt angles in an antiferroelectric liquid crystal, (R)-MHPOBC, were measured. The structural differences among different smectic C* subphases may sensitively reflect the field or temperature dependence of the apparent tilt angle. In a thin cell, the apparent tilt angle was found to change in two steps as a function of field strength in the SmCalpha* and SmC* phases: a steep increase at lower fields and a small linear increase at higher fields. The steep increase in apparent tilt angle is divided into two parts via a plateau in the ferrielectric SmCgamma* phase. Stepwise change with a plateau is also seen in the relation of apparent tilt angle versus temperature under various electric fields. Moreover, the apparent tilt angle in the vicinity of the plateau is almost temperature- and field-independent, implying a preferred orientation of the molecules in the ferrielectric state. The influence of the cell thickness on the structural changes was also investigated.