Theory and pyroelectric characterization of polar inclusion compounds of perhydrotriphenylene

Markov's theory of stochastic processes has been applied successfully to the understanding of the macroscopically polar nature of a plethora of inclusion compounds formed from perhydrotriphenylene (PHTP) and dipolar guest molecules. This theory, supported by experimental data from the new technique of 2-dimensional scanning pyroelectric microscopy (SPEM), predicts correctly the formation of 180 degrees macro-domains from seed crystals which do not necessarily need to be polar. The explanation provided for this long-unsolved phenomenon paves the way to the rational and controlled design of polar molecular materials for optical applications. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.