Enhanced Memory Effect in Conducting Polymer Coated Surfaces of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

The influence of conducting polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), on the memory behavior of ferroelectric liquid crystal material has been investigated by textural, electro-optical, and dielectric spectroscopic methods. It has been observed that the memory effect decreases as concentration of P3HT is increased. The good memory effect has been observed when ∼0.2% (w/v) of P3HT in chloroform solution was used. We also observed that the memory effect in deep Sm C* is not much pronounced but it increases as one goes to near Sm C*–Sm A transition temperature. The observed memory effect has been attributed to minimization of depolarization field and ionic charges.