Dipolar polarization electrical display

Polar molecules display the property that they can be oriented along an electric field dipolar polarization phenomenon). In the absence of this phenomenon, dipoles are orientated at random and molecules submitted to Brownian movement only. In the presence of a continuous electric current, aU the dipoles are lined up together in the same direction. If submitted to an alternating current, the electric field is inversed at each alternance with a subsequent tendancy for dipoles to move together to follow the field. Such a characteristic induces stirring and friction of molecules which dissipates as internal homogeneous heating (Scheme 21). 

As witli tlie nematic phase, a chiral version of tlie smectic C phase has been observed and is denoted SniC. In tliis phase, tlie director rotates around tlie cone generated by tlie tilt angle [9,32]. This phase is helielectric, i.e. tlie spontaneous polarization induced by dipolar ordering (transverse to tlie molecular long axis) rotates around a helix. However, if tlie helix is unwound by external forces such as surface interactions, or electric fields or by compensating tlie pitch in a mixture, so tliat it becomes infinite, tlie phase becomes ferroelectric. This is tlie basis of ferroelectric liquid crystal displays (section C2.2.4.4). If tliere is an alternation in polarization direction between layers tlie phase can be ferrielectric or antiferroelectric. A smectic A phase foniied by chiral molecules is sometimes denoted SiiiA, altliough, due to the untilted symmetry of tlie phase, it is not itself chiral. This notation is strictly incorrect because tlie asterisk should be used to indicate the chirality of tlie phase and not tliat of tlie constituent molecules. 

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