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Published on: October 31, 2019
Polar Switching in a Lyotropic Columnar Nematic Liquid Crystal Made of Bowl-Shaped Molecules
Julia Guilleme1, Emma Cavero2, Teresa Sierra2
1Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
A polar response in a lyotropic columnar nematic material is reported. The material accommodates bowl-shaped molecules with strong axial dipole moments in column segments without head-to-tail invariance. Optical second-harmonic-generation methods confirm that the nematic columns align unidirectionally under an applied electric field and the material develops remnant macroscopic polarization observable for hours. The switching takes place by a flip of the columns.
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