A ferroelectric liquid crystal conglomerate composed of racemic molecules

We describe the design and synthesis of a ferroelectric liquid crystal comp osed of racemic molecules. The ferroelectric polarization results from spon taneous polar symmetry breaking in a fluid smectic. The ferroelectric phase is also chiral, resulting in the formation of a mixture of macroscopic dom ains of either handedness at the isotropic-to-liquid crystal phase transiti on. This smectic liquid crystal is thus a fluid conglomerate. Detailed inve stigation of the electrooptic and polarization current behavior within indi vidual domains in liquid crystal cells shows the thermodynamically stable s tructure to be a uniformly tilted smectic bow-phase (banana phase), with al l layer pairs homochiral and ferroelectric (SmCSPF).