Chiral selection by interfacial shearing of self-assembled achiral molecules.
We report a novel phenomenon of chiral selection in self-assembled condensates of achiral amphiphiles. The handedness of chiral textures, reproducing the collective rotational component of the molecular orientation inside submillimeter circular domains, is correlated with the sign of a vortical stirring in the aqueous subphase. We propose an explanation based on the distinctive kinetics of topological defect annihilation during domain coalescence at the initial coarsening stage of a phase-separating monolayer.
Petit-Garrido
Núria
N
SOC&SAM group, IN2UB and Departament de Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Ignés-Mullol
Jordi
J
Claret
Josep
J
Sagués
Francesc
F
D008958:Models, Molecular; D013237:Stereoisomerism