A novel series of siloxane containing low molar mass liquid crystals have been synthesized and characterized by DSC, optical microscopy and electro-optic properties. The compounds described all exhibited room temperature bistable chiral smectic C phases. In this paper we concentrate on the electro-optic properties of both low (approximately 20 nC cm-2) and high (approximately 150 nC. cm-2) spontaneous polarization homologues. Data is also presented on tilt angles, response times and rotational viscosities for these compounds. All of the materials gave wide temperature range (> 50 degree(s)C) ferroelectric phases with tilt angles, varying between 28 degree(s) and 36 degree(s), that were independent of temperature. Response times of the order of microseconds, or longer, were observed. Dichroic dye guest-host mixtures were prepared and their unusual electro-optic properties leading to high contrast ratios also are described. The implications for both birefringence and dichroism based devices are considered.
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