Observation of exceptional 'de Vries-like' properties in a conventional aroylhydrazone based liquid crystal

Smectic liquid crystals with 'de Vries-like' properties are characterized by a maximum layer contraction of <= 1% upon transition from the non-tilted SmA phase to the tilted SmC phase. A straight alkoxy chain-terminated conventional aroylhydrazone based liquid crystal N-(4-(tetradecyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4'((4 ''(hexadecyloxy) benzyl) oxy) benzohydrazide (BSac-1416) undergoes the SmA-SmC phase transition with a maximum layer contraction of 0.65%. The merits of the de Vries reduction factor, i.e. R and f values for this mesogen, are comparable to, or even lower than, those reported for established perfluorinated and polysiloxane-terminated bona fide de Vries-like materials.