Thresholdless antiferroelectric liquid crystals

The molecular interaction between each lajrer is weak and the molecular directors in one layer are not strongly bound by molecular directors in the adjacent layers. As a result, neither a ferroelectric liquid crystal state nor an antiferroelectric liquid crystal state can be realized in forming this random orientation. In the early stages, these materials were called thresholdless antiferroelectric liquid crystals (TLAF) . However, for these materials antiferroelectric order or antiferroelectricity cannot be observed. Recently, the terms frustoelectricity and frustrated electricity have been proposed [36]. These terms imply that the formation of both ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity are prohibited and neither phase can be formed. 

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