Ferroelectric liquid crystals induced by dopants with axially chiral 2,2'-spirobiindan-1,1'-dione cores

The axially chiral dopants (R)-5,5'-5,6'- and 6,6'-diheptyloxy-2,2'-spirobiindan-1,2'-dione were synthesized in optically pure form, and their absolute configurations were assigned by the exciton chirality method using circular dichroism spectroscopy. The new compounds were doped in four achiral liquid crystal hosts to give chiral smectic C* phases with spontaneous polarizations that vary with the core structure of the host.