Piezoeffects and ferroelectric phenomena in smectic liquid crystals

Abstract

Ferroelectric phenomena in chiral smectic liquid crystals appearing as a result of the piezo- and flexoelectric effects in these substances are considered theoretically. The dependence of the amplitude and the pitch of ferroelectric helix on the material parameters is calculated in the framework of the phenomenological theory of phase transitions. The experiments which can help to estimate the independent material constants determining the physical properties of such pseudo-proper liquid ferroelectrics are discussed.