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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Field control of the surface electroclinic effect in chiral smectic-A liquid crystals
Joseph E Maclennan1, David Muller, Ren-Fan Shao
1Department of Physics, and Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
Abstract:
The surface electroclinic effect, which causes an azimuthal deviation of the layer normal from the surface rubbing direction in cells of chiral smectic- A liquid crystals, can be eliminated (and even reversed) by applying an electric field during cooling from the isotropic phase. The observed dependence of layer orientation on field strength leads to a model in which the surface electroclinic tilt results from an effective surface electric field. The experiements suggest a general method for controlling the azimuthal layer alignment of chiral smectic cells.
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