Fundamentals and applications of ferro- and antiferroelectric liquid crystals - the physics and chemistry of 'de Vries'-type materials

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With the recent leap to the TV market the current liquid crystal display technology touched upon the physical performance limits of the nematic phase on which it is based. For the future a transition to new technologies is needed, the most promising candidates being those based on ferro- and antiferroelectric chiral smectic liquid crystals (FLCs and AFLCs). Recently, two classes of materials have been identified which may overcome the remaining obstacles blocking a large-scale commercial break-through: orthoconic AFLCs and `de Vries¿-type smectics. As substances belonging to these categories are extremely rare, improving the understanding of the molecular structural requirements promoting the desired macroscopic properties is an important task of this project. Particular attention will be devoted to the intricate interplay of translational and orientational molecular order and the effects of mixing structurally different mesogens. The aim is to develop an in-depth understanding of the relevant structure¿property relations, allowing for the definition of synthetic strategies for the necessary extension of the pool of de Vries -type smectic liquid crystal materials.