THE EFFECT OF A LATERAL SUBSTITUENT ON THE MESOMORPHIC PROPERTIES IN A SERIES OF FERROELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS WITH A 2-ALKOXYPROPIONATE UNIT

A new series of ferroelectric liquid crystal materials containing a la teral methyl group on the aromatic ring of the alkoxybenzoate unit has been synthesized and investigated. These materials exhibit a wide tem perature range of ferroelectric SmC phase on cooling (including super cooling) with a very high spontaneous polarization. All phase transiti on temperatures are lower when compared with those of similar non-subs tituted materials. In comparison with the compounds containing the lat eral methoxy group, only the SmC-Cr transition changed significantly. The values of spontaneous polarization are mostly increased compared with both non-substituted and methoxy substituted compounds.