Segmental motion of ferroelectric liquid crystal polymer and elastomer during electro-optical switching

Application of both the conservative rapid scan and a novel step-scan Fourier-transform spectroscopy enables us to follow the intra- and intermolecular motion of ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymers and elastomers during electro- optical switching on a time scale from seconds down to microseconds. It has been detected that although all molecular parts move synchronously in course of the switching, the amplitude of such motions is different. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the role played by the molecular segments during the process of reorientation.