Spontaneous polarization molecular origin

The spontaneous polarization is originated in the C2 symmetry of the SmC phase perpendicular to the molecular long axis. The molecular structure and the phase sequence of the world s first FLC, DOBAMBC (p-decyloxybenzylidene-p -amino-2-methylbutylcinnamate) synthesized by Meyer etal. [1], is shown in Fig. 5.1.3. 

The physical properties (e.g., pitch, spontaneous polarization) are independent of the chemical origin of the chirality (see Sections 4.2.1 to 4.2.10). Exact models concerning the effects of molecular chirality are difficult to find and to quantify. Further, each chiral parameter may have independent rules. The helix of the cholesteric phase is oriented perpendicular to the main axis of the molecules, whereas the helix of the phase is oriented parallel to the molecular axis. The spontaneous polarization also depends on the strength of the dipole monents connected to the chiral centers. Direct quantification of the different chiral effects from the chemical structure is a big challenge for the future. An example for molecular models of chiral properties might be the Boulder model of the spontaneous polarization [30]. 

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