A new dopant for ferroelectric liquid crystals with a chiral 2,2′-spirobiindan-1,1′-dione core

Abstract

The synthesis and resolution of the chiral dopant (R)-2,2′-spirobiindan-5,5′-diheptyloxy-1,1′-dione is described. This new compound is doped in achiral SmC liquid crystal hosts to give a ferroelectric SmC* phase. The polarization power of the dopant varies with the core structure of the SmC host, from <+10 to +803 nC cm⁻², and the sign of spontaneous polarization induced by the (R)-enantiomer of the chiral dopant is consistent with that predicted by the Boulder model.