The electroconvection in nematic liquid crystals with short range smectic C order and negative electroconductivity anisotropy

The electroconvective instability (ECI) in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs), appearing beyond smectic C at cooling known as N with short range smecic C order, presents an unique electrooptical phenomenon due to generation and frustration of the smectic layering, which manifests inside the N temperature range. We found that the response time in this material is about an order shorter than those in the classical nematics. For the first time in NLCs were detected harmonics higher than fourth order. A twist type instability is suggested for this material.