V-shaped switching in ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures induced by an achiral swallow-tailed material

A new ferroelectric liquid crystal, 1-ethylpropyl (S)-2-2-fluoro-4-(4′-decyloxybiphenylcarbonyloxy) benzoyloxy] propanoate, F, was synthesized and mixed with an achiral swallow-tailed material, 2-propylpentyl 4-(4′-nonyloxybiphenyl-4-carbonyloxy) benzoate,P, for the preparation of binary mixtures for the study. The binary mixtures gave a phase sequence SmA* -SmC* -SmX*. The electro-optic response of the mixtures in the ferroelectric SmC* phase was investigated. V-shaped switching was observed as the amount of the achiral swallow-tailed material became greater than 20 wt %. This result suggests that thresholdless, V-shaped switching in ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures can be achieved by mixing a ferroelectric liquid crystal with an achiral swallow-tailed compound.