DOI: 10.1126/science.278.5345.1924 ISSN:

Spontaneous Formation of Macroscopic Chiral Domains in a Fluid Smectic Phase of Achiral Molecules

Darren R. Link, Giorgio Natale, Renfan Shao, Joseph E. Maclennan, Noel A. Clark, Eva Körblova, David M. Walba
  • Multidisciplinary

A smectic liquid-crystal phase made from achiral molecules with bent cores was found to have fluid layers that exhibit two spontaneous symmetry-breaking instabilities: polar molecular orientational ordering about the layer normal and molecular tilt. These instabilities combine to form a chiral layer structure with a handedness that depends on the sign of the tilt. The bulk states are either antiferroelectric-racemic, with the layer polar direction and handedness alternating in sign from layer to layer, or antiferroelectric-chiral, which is of uniform layer handedness. Both states exhibit an electric field–induced transition from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric.

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