Chiral Smectic Ferroelectric and Anticlinic Liquid Crystals

The chiral smectic liquid crystals are not only useful for the potential applications but also are a rich source to study and understand the science of soft matter. An overview of knowledge generated over past three decades on the ferroelectric and anticlinic crystals is summarized in this Chap. 3. The discussion has been limited over this period because enormous work done on ferroic liquid crystalline materials cannot be covered in one chapter. During the last four decades, ferroelectric liquid crystals have been looked at as a smart functional alternative in the area of high-end applications ranging from spatial modulators and tunable lasers to fast electro-optical switching devices. The structure and some of the important properties of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals are discussed.  Few important effects observed in ferroelectric liquid crystals are discussed. Theoretical developments for the phase transition properties involving chiral smectic mesophases is given. A brief discussion on the characteristic features of twist grain boundary mesophases is presented.