Discovery of a novel smectic-C{*} liquid-crystal phase with six-layer periodicity

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Jan 15;104(2):027801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.027801. Epub 2010 Jan 13.

Abstract

We report the discovery of a new smectic-C{*} liquid-crystal phase with six-layer periodicity by resonant x-ray diffraction. Upon cooling, the new phase appears between the SmC{alpha}{*} phase having a helical structure and the SmC{d4}{*} phase with four-layer periodicity. This SmC{d6}{*} phase was identified in two mixtures which have an unusual reversed SmC{d4}{*}-SmC{*} phase sequence. The SmC{d6}{*} phase shows a distorted clock structure. Three theoretical models have predicted the existence of a six-layer phase. However, our experimental findings are not consistent with the theories.