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S. G. Polushin¹, V. B. Rogozhin¹, A. A. Lezova¹, G. E. Polushina¹, E. I. Rjumtsev¹, Yu. G. Galyametdinov²

Author affiliations
¹Saint Petersburg State University,
1 Ulianovskaya St., Saint Petersburg, Petrodvorets, 198504, Russia
²Kazan National Research Technological University,
68 Karl Marx St., Kazan, 420015, Russia
E-mail: s.polushin@spbu.ru

Abstract
Electrooptical properties of isotropic melts of the substances belonging to the class of liquid crystals based on rare earth metal complexes were studied. The composition and the molecular structure of the complexes distinguish them from the well-known calamitic liquid crystal substances. In this connection, the metallomesogens properties in the vicinity of the smectic – isotropic phase transition are of great interest. Smectic samples containing terbium and dysprosium with different length of aliphatic chains in counter-ions and ligands were studied. It is found that the magnitude of the electrooptical constant corresponds to a constant characteristic of the polar or weakly polar calamitic smectic liquid crystals. The sign of the Kerr constant can be either positive or negative, depending on the direction of the permanent dipole moment of the complex.

Keywords: Kerr effect, metallomesogens, isotropic phase, smectic, lanthanide