Partial mixing of opposite chirality in a bentshaped liquid crystal molecular system

Layer structure and electrooptical switching were studied in a bent-shaped achiral liquid crystal molecule, P-12-PIMB. By the application of a dc field during slow cooling from the isotropic phase to the highest temperature smectic phase, B2, large uniform domains of about 0.5 mm diameter were obtained. A tilted antiferroelectric structure was confirmed in the B2 phase by means of texture observations and switching current measurements. The molecular tilt angle was found to be independent of temperature and was 34°. In addition, domains with a smaller apparent tilt angle were also observed, suggesting that layers with different senses of chirality coexist in the domain.