Biferroelectricity of a homochiral organic molecule in both solid crystal and liquid crystal phases

ABSTRACT: Ferroelectricity, existing in either solid crystals or liquid crystals, gained widespread attention from science and industry for over a century. However, ferroelectricity has never been observed in both solid and liquid crystal phases of a material simultaneously. Inorganic ferroelectrics that dominate the market do not have liquid crystal phases because of their completely rigid structure caused by intrinsic chemical bonds. We report a ferroelectric homochiral cholesterol derivative, β-sitosteryl 4-iodocinnamate, where both solid and liquid crystal phases can exhibit the behavior of polarization switching as determined by polarization–voltage hysteresis loops and piezoresponse force microscopy measurements. The unique long molecular chain, sterol structure, and homochirality of β-sitoste

SUBMITTER: Song X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9579164 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature