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Antiferroelectric Liquid Crystals from Achiral Molecules And A Liquid Conglomerate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

David M. Walba ,
Eva Körblova ,
Renfan Shao ,
Joseph E. Maclennan ,
Darren R. Link  and
Noel A. Clark
David M. Walba
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Campus Box 215, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Eva Körblova
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Campus Box 215, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Renfan Shao
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Campus Box 390, and the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Joseph E. Maclennan
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Campus Box 390, and the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Darren R. Link
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Campus Box 390, and the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
Noel A. Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Campus Box 390, and the Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
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Abstract

Until recently, it was an empirical fact that creation of a chiral liquid crystal phase required enantiomerically enriched molecules. In addition, to date known ferroelectric and antiferroelectric smectics have also been composed of enantiomerically enriched molecules. Herein are described the first examples of the formation of chiral and antiferroelectric supermolecular liquid crystalline structures from achiral molecules. In one case (apparently metastable) the liquid crystal structure is macroscopically chiral, with samples composed of heterochiral macroscopic domains: a liquid conglomerate.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 559: Symposium D – Liquid Crystals Materials and Devices , 1999 , 3
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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References

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