title: Photodynamic chiral molecular switches with thermal stability: from reflection wavelength tuning to handedness inversion of self-organized helical superstructures.
abstract: A good turn: Three compounds that bear two axially chiral bridged binaphthyl units were developed as photodynamic chiral dopants for nematic liquid crystals. For compounds with suitable bridge lengths, a change in the dihedral angle induced a switch of the binaphthyl units from the cisoid to the transoid form upon UV irradiation, which led to an inversion of the handedness of the helices.
authors.affiliation: Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242 (USA).
authors.forename: Yannian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chenming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Mengfei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Augustine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urbas
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: handedness inversion; helical structures; liquid crystals; self-organized helices; thermal stability