Ferroelectricity-induced effects in interaction and self-organization of inclusions in smectic membranes

¹ Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences 142432, Chernogolovka, Moscow district, Russia
² Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, CNRS Avenue A. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
³ Laboratoire de Dynamique et Structure des Materiaux Moléculaires UMR CNRS 8024, Université de Lille I 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France

Received: 7 July 2006
Accepted: 21 August 2006

Abstract

Our experiments reveal that breaking of chiral symmetry in smectic membranes leads to a dramatic modification of the collective behavior of inclusions. We investigated nematic and cholesteric droplets, respectively, in nonpolar membranes formed by the racemic mixture and in ferroelectric ones formed by the chiral isomer. Inclusions in nonpolar and polar membranes induce substantially different elastic deformation of the -director field: quadrupolar symmetry and dipolar symmetry, respectively. Interaction between inclusions related with deformation of the -director field leads to self-organization of inclusions into linear chains in ferroelectric membranes and into clusters in nonpolar membranes. The experiments suggest that polarization-induced charges play a substantial role in self-organization processes in ferroelectric membranes.