Synthesis ano ferroelectric properties of liquid crystals derived from 4-mercaptobenzoic acid

A series of new ferroelectric liquid crystals characterized by the presence of a thioester core and an alkoxycarbonyl tail derived from a chiral 2-alkanol has been prepared and evaluated. The synthesis of these materials is straightforward and employs p-mercaptobenzoic acid as a critical intermediate. Some of the new liquid crystals are remarkable due to their large polarizations and rapid electro-optic switching near room temperature in the SSFLC configuration. © 1991 Gordon and Breach Science Publishers S.A.