当前位置: X-MOL 学术Liq. Cryst. › 论文详情
Our official English website, www.x-mol.net, welcomes your feedback! (Note: you will need to create a separate account there.)
The twist bend nematic: a case of mistaken identity
Liquid Crystals ( IF 2.2 ) Pub Date : 2020-09-15 , DOI: 10.1080/02678292.2020.1795943
Edward T. Samulski 1 , Alexandros G. Vanakaras 2 , Demetri J. Photinos 2
Affiliation  

ABSTRACT We review the physics underlying Meyer’s conjecture of how macroscopic-scale twist and bend conspire within the Frank-Oseen elasticity theory of nematics to create a heliconical arrangement of the uniaxial, apolar nematic director, the so-called ‘twist bend nematic’ NTB. We show that since 2011 a second, lower-temperature nematic phase observed in odd methylene-linked cyanobiphenyl dimers discovered by Toriumi and called NX, has been incorrectly identified as NTB. Moreover, as more quantitative data on the NX emerged, Meyer’s simple prediction has been distorted to accommodate those findings. In fact, the molecular organisation in the NX conforms to the NPT phase, a polar, twisted arrangement of nonlinear mesogens advanced in 2016. The attributes of the NPT are summarised and differentiated from those of the NTB in an effort to contribute to a better understanding of the NX phase and, equally important, to encourage researchers to continue to search for a liquid crystal that exhibits Meyer’s pioneering theoretical suggestion, namely that form-chirality can exist in simple nematics composed of achiral molecules. Graphical Abstract
更新日期:2020-09-15
down
wechat
bug