Observation of a possible tetrahedratic phase in a bent-core liquid crystal

Wiant, D; Neupane, Krishna; Sharma, Sunil; Gleeson, J. T.; Sprunt, Samuel; Jákli, Antal; Pradhan, Nihar; Iannacchione, Germano S.

doi:10.1103/physreve.77.061701

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Recently, the experimental indication of stable T and N T phases was indeed reported [14], along with earlier discovery of the biaxial nematic phase [15,16].…”

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confidence: 69%

Chiral symmetry breaking in bent-core liquid crystals

2009

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By molecular modeling we demonstrate that the nematic long-range order discovered in bentcore liquid crystal systems should reveal further spatially homogeneous phases. Two of them are identified as a tetrahedratic nematic (N T ) phase with D 2d symmetry and a chiral tetrahedratic nematic (N * T ) phase with D 2 symmetry. These new phases were found for a lattice model with quadrupolar and octupolar anisotropic interactions using Mean Field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. The phase diagrams exhibit tetrahedratic (T ), N T and N * T phases, in addition to ordinary isotropic (I), uniaxial nematic (N U ) and biaxial nematic (N B ) phases. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular model with spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in non-layered systems.

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“…Recently, the experimental indication of stable T and N T phases was indeed reported [14], along with earlier discovery of the biaxial nematic phase [15,16].…”

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confidence: 69%

Chiral symmetry breaking in bent-core liquid crystals

2009

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“…Mean-field theory of bent-core liquid crystals predicts a manifold of nematic-type phases (without positional order) including uniaxial, biaxial and tetrahedratic phases 2 . Unusual properties of the bent-core nematic phases of resorcinol derivatives, such as the formation of optically active domains, enhanced flexoelectric effect 3 and strong magneto-optical effects 4,5 have been reported. Recently, the appearance of weakly first order nematic-nematic transitions and the identification of a novel nematic phase have been reported for cyanobiphenyl based odd methylene linked dimers (CBnCB) [6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”

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confidence: 99%

Mesophase structure and behaviour in bulk and restricted geometry of a dimeric compound exhibiting a nematic–nematic transition

Sebastián

Tamba

Stannarius

et al. 2016

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

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We present structural studies of a dimeric compound composed of a central heptyl spacer linking two mesogens consisting of terphenyl units at which two adjacent fluoro groups are attached to each central ring. The terminal rings are linked to pentyl chains as terminal groups. The material exhibits a nematic-nematic transition and a low temperature modulated phase. The higher temperature nematic phase was found to exhibit an anomaly of the bend elastic constant similar to that of the dimers with N-Ntb phase sequence, and the physical properties of the low-temperature nematic phase are similar to those of the known Ntb materials. The structure of the low-temperature modulated smectic/columnar phase is described together with its ability to form freely suspended films and fibres. The relation of the modulated structure to the fibre formation and to the appearance of the labyrinthine instability in freely-suspended films is discussed.

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“…In particular, experimental studies of the nematic phase of bent-core LCs have reported a host of interesting properties, including: giant flexoelectricity [1]; a significant Kerr effect [2]; induced [3] and spontaneous [4,5] biaxial orientational order; unusually large viscosity to elasticity ratios [6,7] and flow viscosity [8]; new electro-convection behavior [9]; and indications of exotic orientationally ordered phases such as a tetrahedratic phase in the vicinity of the isotropic-nematic transition [10]. Meanwhile, theoretical investigations [11] of ordering in bent-core nematics (BCNs) have predicted the occurrence of spontaneously chiral and even polar nematic phases.…”

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confidence: 99%