Giant electro-viscous effects in polar fluids with paraelectric–modulated antiferroelectric–ferroelectric phase sequence

The recently discovered ferroelectric nematic liquid-crystal material DIO exhibits an antiferroelectric (AF) phase, characterized by a sinusoidally modulated structure between the paraelectric (P) and ferroelectric (F) nematic phases. Although these sinusoidal modulated structures associated with th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hiroya Nishikawa, Péter Salamon, Marcell Tibor Máthé, Antal Jákli, Fumito Araoka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Giant
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542525000050
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Summary:The recently discovered ferroelectric nematic liquid-crystal material DIO exhibits an antiferroelectric (AF) phase, characterized by a sinusoidally modulated structure between the paraelectric (P) and ferroelectric (F) nematic phases. Although these sinusoidal modulated structures associated with the P–AF–F phase sequence is commonly observed in solid ferroelectrics, their presence in soft matter systems is scarce. This study is aimed at examining the macroscopic properties of DIO, identifying unique rheological properties, such as switching between shear thinning and shear thickening behaviors at certain shear rate in the ferroelectric nematic phase. Additionally, a significant electroviscous effect is observed, with the viscosity increasing by 70 times under an ultra-low electric field of 0.15 V µm−1 at the AF–F transition.
ISSN:2666-5425