Electrooptics of mm-scale polar domains in the ferroelectric nematic phase

Sebastián Ugarteche, Nerea (author), Mandle, Richard J. (author), Petelin, Andrej (author), Eremin, Alexey (author), Mertelj, Alenka (author)

The recent discovery of the ferroelectric nematic phase has opened the door to experimental investigation of one of the most searched liquid crystal phases in decades, with high expectations for future applications. However, at this moment, there are more questions than answers. In this work, we examine the formation and structure of large polar nematic domains of the ferroelectric nematic material RM734 in planar liquid crystals cells with different aligning agents and specifications. We observe that confining surfaces have a strong influence over the formation of different types of domains, resulting in various twisted structures of the nematic director. For those cells predominantly showing mm-scale domains, we investigate the optical and second harmonic generation switching behaviour under applications of electric fields with a special focus on inplane fields perpendicular to the confinement media rubbing direction. In order to characterise the underlying structure, the polar optical switching behaviour is reproduced using a simplified model together with Berreman calculations.

• Language: English
• Keywords: polar nematic, ferroelectric splay nematic, surface effects, electro-optic behaviour, second harmonic generation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 2055-2071
• Numbering: Vol. 48, no. 14
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-141236
• UDC: 53
• ISSN on article: 0267-8292
• DOI: 10.1080/02678292.2021.1955417
• COBISS.SI-ID: 73124867
• Publication date in RUL: 26.09.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Liquid crystals
• Shortened title: Liq. cryst.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0267-8292
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1690628

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• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.