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It has been found that p-azoxyanisole and other nematic liquids have several of the electrical properties which characterize ferroelectric crystals. These are: hysteresis loops of polarization as a function of field, switching current transients, and large dielectric constants at low frequencies. Typical values for spontaneous polarization and coercive field obtained from analysis of hysteresis loops are 0.03 μC/cm2 and 1×104 V/cm. The appearance of switching transients and their dependence on applied field are similar to those reported for ferroelectrics. We find similar effects for both anisotropic and isotropic phases, in disagreement with an earlier result reported by others. Possible interpretations of the results are discussed.
Williams et al. (1966) studied this question.