Double twist helical nanofilaments in bent-core liquid crystals

ORAL

Abstract

Cryo-TEM observations on 40-150 nm films of four bent-core liquid crystal materials in their helical nanofilament (HNF) phase show that the filaments get deformed near the substrate, and the subsequent arrays of nanofilaments are not parallel, but twisted with respect to each other. The effect can explain the mysterious properties of the HNF materials, such as structural color and ambidextrous optical activity. The observed double twist structure was not expected in the previous models of this phase. Being principally different from the packing of molecules in the twist grain boundary (TGB) and blue (BP) phases, the double-twist structure of HNF expands the rich word of nanostructured organic materials.

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Authors

  • Cuiyu Zhang

    Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242

  • Nicholas Diorio

    Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242

  • Oleg D. Lavrentovich

    Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent. OH 44240, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242

  • Antal Jakli

    Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent. OH 44240, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242