  Chiral liquid crystalline compounds belonging to the homologous series of
(S)-4'-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl)biphenyl-4-yl
4-[m-(2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutoxy)alk-1-oxy]-2-fluorobenzoates show various
behavior on cooling depending on the length of the CmH2m chain. The homologue
with m = 2 crystallizes, while for m = 5, 6, 7, and presumably also for m = 3,
the glass of the anticlinic smectic CA* phase is formed. The previous results
for m = 4 suggest that this homologue may also be a glassformer. This paper
presents the study of the crystallization kinetics for the compound with m = 4
in isothermal conditions (by polarizing optical microscopy) and for the 5-40
K/min cooling rates (by differential scanning calorimetry). Microscopic
observations enable estimation of the energy barrier for nucleation, which
equals 409 kJ/mol. The threshold cooling rate necessary for complete
vitrification of the smectic CA* phase, obtained by extrapolating the enthalpy
change during crystallization to zero, is equal to 81 K/min or 64 K/min for the
linear and parabolic fit, respectively. The structural studies by X-ray
diffraction show that crystal phases have lamellar structures both in the
pristine sample and after crystallization from the melt but with different
layer spacing. A weak relaxation process is detected in the sample after melt
crystallization, revealing the presence of the conformational disorder. The
dynamic glass transition temperature of the SmCA* phase, estimated from the
relaxation time of the PH process (as the {\alpha}-relaxation time could not be
registered in a wide enough temperature range), is 244 K.
