ISSN:
1042-7147
Keywords:
Ferroelectric liquid crystals
;
Polymers
;
Dielectric spectroscopy
;
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
Notes:
Broadband dielectric spectroscopy delivers in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1010 Hz two collective dielectric loss processes (soft and Goldstone modes) and one molecular relaxation (β-relaxation). The soft mode and Goldstone mode are assigned to the fluctuation of the amplitude and the phase of the helical superstructure. The β-relaxation corresponds to the libration (hindered rotation) of the mesogene around its long molecular axis. At the SmA-SmC* phase transition this process does not split or broaden, and the temperature dependence of its relaxation rate does not show any deviation from an Arrhenius-like behavior. Its dielectric strength does not decline at the SmA-SmC* phase transition. These experimental findings are in contrast to the common explanation of the origin of the saturation polarization (“induced spontaneous polarization”), which is based on the existence of a “free” rotation inside the SmA phase and its strong hindrance in the ferroelectric SmC* phase. Furthermore, the high frequency results require a reformulation for the (generalized) Landau theory as applied to the SmA-SmC* phase transition. In comparing low molar mass and polymeric (elastomeric) FLC, the collective and molecular dynamics are qualitatively similar, independent of the molecular architecture (e.g. side-chain, combined main- and side-chain or crosslinked systems).
Additional Material:
13 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pat.1992.220030509
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