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Increasing the flexoelastic ratio of liquid crystals using highly fluorinated ester-linked bimesogens
Katie L Atkinson1, Stephen M Morris, Malik M Qasim
1Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|November 8, 2012
Summary
Adding fluorine atoms to liquid crystals enhances their flexoelectric properties, crucial for electro-optic switching. Ester linkages further boost this effect, making these materials promising for advanced display technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Flexoelectricity in liquid crystals is key for electro-optic applications.
- The flexoelastic ratio (e/K) dictates the efficiency of flexoelectro-optic switching.
- Understanding structure-property relationships is vital for material design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of fluorination and linker type on flexoelectric and elastic properties.
- To determine how these modifications affect the flexoelastic ratio (e/K).
- To evaluate the potential of these materials for electro-optic devices.
Main Methods:
- Experimental synthesis and characterization of non-symmetric bimesogenic liquid crystals.
- Measurement of bulk flexoelectric coefficients (e) and effective elastic coefficients (K).
- Analysis of two distinct flexible spacer linkages: ether and ester.
Main Results:
- Increasing fluorine substituents slightly increases flexoelectric coefficients (e) and decreases elastic coefficients (K), enhancing e/K.
- Switching from ether to ester linkages significantly increases e/K, primarily due to a rise in e.
- Higher fluorination increases viscoelastic ratio, leading to longer response times, but ester-linked compounds show lower viscoelasticity.
Conclusions:
- Fluorinated bimesogenic liquid crystals with ester linkages offer enhanced flexoelectric performance.
- These materials exhibit favorable properties like lower transition temperatures and dielectric anisotropies.
- The findings indicate their promise for developing next-generation electro-optic devices.
