TY - JOUR

T1 - Unusual properties of a bent-core liquid-crystalline fluid

AU - Goertz, Verena

AU - Southern, Christopher

AU - Roberts, Nicholas W.

AU - Gleeson, Helen F.

AU - Goodby, John W.

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - In our investigations of a family of achiral bent-core bis-(phenyl)oxadiazole derivatives, we observed some unusual properties of the nematic phase. These include evidence of segregation into domains of opposite handedness and the formation of clusters, nematic phase biaxiality, and a strongly kinetically governed phase behaviour, which leads to the display of unique filament structures at the onset of new order. We suggest that the combination of a deviant calamitic molecular shape with a considerable transverse dipole leads to an unusual strength and combination of molecular interactions, and as a consequence these nematic materials need to be considered as fluctuating and dynamically changing, multi-hierarchical fluids.

AB - In our investigations of a family of achiral bent-core bis-(phenyl)oxadiazole derivatives, we observed some unusual properties of the nematic phase. These include evidence of segregation into domains of opposite handedness and the formation of clusters, nematic phase biaxiality, and a strongly kinetically governed phase behaviour, which leads to the display of unique filament structures at the onset of new order. We suggest that the combination of a deviant calamitic molecular shape with a considerable transverse dipole leads to an unusual strength and combination of molecular interactions, and as a consequence these nematic materials need to be considered as fluctuating and dynamically changing, multi-hierarchical fluids.

KW - ACHIRAL MOLECULES

KW - NEMATIC LIQUID

KW - PHASE

KW - TRANSITION

KW - LATTICE

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=58149512242&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1039/b808283a

DO - 10.1039/b808283a

M3 - Journal article

VL - 5

SP - 463

EP - 471

JO - Soft Matter

JF - Soft Matter

SN - 1744-683X

IS - 2

ER -