This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project is in the general area of chemical synthesis in the subfield of ferroelectricity. The long range scientific goals of this research are to increase understanding of the correlation of molecular structure with physical properties of tilted liquid crystal phases, and to test strategies for design of new materials. Specifically, the work is aimed at inventing new low viscosity and low birefringence smectic C Hosts for use with high polarization ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) dopants. Such low viscosity smectic C hosts, in combination with the proper chiral FLC dopants, would have application in flat panel displays and spatial light modulators (SLMs) requiring the fastest rise times. Ferroelectric (chiral) smectic C* liquid crystals have been shown to exhibit high speed, multistate electro-optic and display device applications, particularly when incorporated into the surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC) light valve. Flat panel displays based upon the SSFLC device concept have many potential advantages. However, due to the high birefringence and relatively slow speed of existing materials, SSFLC light valves prove problematical in some important applications. Both of these problems--high birefringence and slow switching speed--are addressed by the creation of a new class of perfluorinated FLC hosts.
