Helix inversion in the chiral nematic phase of a ferroelectric liquid crystal containing a single chiral centre

Abstract

An inversion in the cholesteric phase has been found to occur with change in temperature. Additionally, the material under investigation was found to exhibit unusual ferroelectric properties on cooling from the chiral nematic phase. We report the synthesis and physical properties, including pitch and polarization data, for (S)-4-n-octyloxy-2,3-difluorobiphenyl-4′-yl 3-difluorobiphenyl-4′-yl 3-fluoro-4-(2-fluorooctanoyloxy)benzoate.