Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Molecular Reorientation During FLC Electro-Optic Switching

Polarized Fourier transform infrared (IR) absorption is used to probe molecular conformation in a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) during the reorientation induced by the external field. Spectra of planar aligned cells of FLC W314 are measured as functions of IR polarizer orientation and electric field applied to the FLC. The time evolution of the dichroism of the absorbance due to biphenyl core and alkyl tail molecular vibration modes, is observed. Static IR dichroism experiments show a W314 dichroism structure in which the principal axis of dielectric tensor from molecular core vibration are tilted further from the smectic layer normal than those of the tail. This structure indicates the effective binding site in which the molecules are confined in the Sm-C phase has, on average, "zig-zag" shape and this zig-zag binding site structure is rigidly maintained while the molecular axis rotates about the layer normal during field-induced switching.