Dielectric properties of LC mixture with induced antiferroelectric phase

Mixture of two liquid crystalline components exhibits the antiferroelectric phase in a broad temperature range at room temperatures, though the two components separately do not show an antiferroelectric phase in a temperature range applied. The dielectric spectroscopy technique combined with measurements of the selective light reflection was used for identification and characterization of the phases and subphases existing in the mixture. In the SmC*A phase, the low frequency mode characteristic of antiferroelectric phase has been detected. In the broad temperature range between SmC*A and SmA* phases, no relaxation mode has been detected. The soft mode registered near the phase transition to SmA* phase follows the Curie-Weiss law.