Observations of phase behavior of chiral mesogens in diastereomeric domains of bent-core helical nanofilament networks
ORAL
Abstract
Blends of NOBOW, a helical nanofilament-forming B4 bent-core liquid crystal with organic guest molecules are completely mixed in the high temperature, isotropic phase. Upon cooling, the B4 filaments nucleate from the isotropic melt and grow into a homochiral dendritic network which acts as a porous medium of large internal area, with the guest material confined to nanoscale interstitial volumes between the twisted filaments. A typical sample is a conglomerate of independently nucleated left- and right-handed B4 domains many tens of $\mu $m across. Polarized optical microscopy reveals that chiral liquid crystal guest materials nanoconfined in the helical nanofilament networks form diastereomeric domains with distinct thermal behavior.
*This work was supported by NSF MRSEC Grant DMR-0820579.
–
Authors
B. Horanyi
Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390, USA
D. Chen
Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390, USA
E. Korblova
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0215, USA
D.M. Walba
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0215, USA
J.E. Maclennan
Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390, USA
M.A. Glaser
Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390, USA
N.A. Clark
Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390, USA
