Time resolved X-ray micro-diffraction measurements of the dynamic local layer response to electric field in antiferroelectric liquid crystals

The time-resolved synchrotron X-ray microbeam diffraction experiment has be en carried out to reveal the local layer response to the electric field in the antiferroelectric liquid crystal. The X-ray microbeam of a few mum spat ial resolution was obtained with Kirkpatrick-Baez optics. The time-resolved small angle diffraction experiment was performed with a time resolution ra nging from 10 mus to a few ms. The reversible local layer change between th e horizontal chevron and the quasi-bookshelf structure was confirmed by the triangular wave form. The transient layer response for the step form elect ric field was observed. The layer response closely related with an electric field induced antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase transition. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.