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Three banana-shaped achiral compounds, derivatives of 4-chloro-1,3-phenylene bis[4-(4- n -decanyloxyphenyliminomethyl)benzoate], were synthesized with variation of a substituent ( X =H, F, or Cl); their antiferroelectric properties are described. The mesomorphic and switching properties were characterized by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, triangular wave method, and X-ray diffraction. The introduction of a lateral halogen substituent in the Schiff's base moiety prevents the regular stacking of the molecules, resulting in a decrease of melting temperature and leads to formation of the switchable SmC* phase in the melt. All of the compounds showed antiferroelectric switching, and their values of spontaneous polarization on reversal of an applied electric field were 260, 480, and 300 nC cm -2 , respectively, for X =H, F and Cl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New chiral bent-core mesogens, derivatives of 1,3-phenylene bis[4-(alkanyloxyphenyliminomethyl)benzoate], were synthesized with variation of a substituent ( X =F, Cl); their antiferroelectric properties are described. The mesomorphic and switching properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, triangular wave method, and X-ray diffractometry in the small and wide angle regions. The presence of chiral tails at the terminals of side wings in the bent-core molecules induced a decrease in transition temperature and formation of the switchable SmC* phase in the melt. In addition, the introduction of a lateral halogen substituent in the Schiff's base moiety prevented the regular stacking of the molecules, resulting in the formation of very complex optical textures. The smectic phase with F-substituted PBFDOB and Cl-substituted PBCDOB showed layer spacings of 39 and 38.5 Å, respectively, corresponding to the end-to-end distance of molecules with a bent conformation. Significantly, the smectic phases of PBFDOB and PBCDOB exhibited a period of 179.5 and 131 Å, respectively, compatible with a helical structure with periodicity about 4.6 and 3.4 times the layer spacings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]