Several results on bent-core liquid crystals considered as new supramolecular functional materials with potential for applications are reviewed. Various topics are discussed where these materials present unique attributes with clear advantages over conventional mesogens. In particular the electrooptic responses of some mesophases are examined from the viewpoint of their possible use in electrooptic devices. Other issues are also treated such as nonlinear optical properties, flexoelectricity or the design of biaxial nematics from bent-core molecules. Future challenges and prospects for new possibilities with these materials are briefly outlined.

Materials that exhibit high nonlinear optical (NLO) susceptibilities are considered as promising candidates for a wide range of photonic and electronic applications. Here, we argue that the ferroelectric nematic (N_F) materials have sufficient potentialities to become materials for the next-generation of NLO devices. We have carried out a study of the efficiency of optical second-harmonic generation in a prototype N_F material, finding a nonlinear susceptibility of 5.6 pm.V⁻¹ in the transparent regime, one of the highest ever reported in ferroelectric liquid crystals. Given the fact that the studied molecule was not specifically designed for NLO applications, we conclude there is still margin to obtain N_F materials with enhanced properties that should allow their practical use. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT