Orientation of temperature gradient-cooled ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals in restricted rectilinear space

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The authors have developed a method for producing a large-size liquid crystal cell to which top and bottom substrate stripe barriers (viewed from above, barriers appear as a series of stripes) adhere completely. Ferroelectric or antiferroelectric liquid crystals were confined to a long narrow rectilinear space 300mum in width and cooled from one end to the other under a temperature gradient. Smectic layers were found to bend in the direction of molecular movement due to volume contraction of bulk liquid crystal, with decrease in temperature. No zigzag or line-like defects were found with antiparallel rubbing or in C2 orientation with parallel rubbing. Thus, regarding the orientation of the smectic layers, constituent molecules must be moved only in one direction perpendicular to smectic layers.