title: Twist-bend heliconical chiral nematic liquid crystal phase of an achiral rigid bent-core mesogen.
abstract: The chiral, heliconical (twist-bend) nematic ground state is reported in an achiral, rigid, bent-core mesogen (UD68). Similar to the nematic twist-bend (N(TB)) phase observed in bent molecular dimers, the N(TB) phase of UD68 forms macroscopic, smecticlike focal-conic textures and exhibits nanoscale, periodic modulation with no associated modulation of the electron density, i.e., without a detectable lamellar x-ray reflection peak. The N(TB) helical pitch is p(TB) ∼ 14 nm. When an electric field is applied normal to the helix axis, a weak electroclinic effect is observed, revealing 50-μm-scale left- and right-handed domains in a chiral conglomerate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Michi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Renfan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Tuchband
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.affiliation: Institut für Chemie, Physikalische Chemie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, von-Danckelmann-Platz, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.affiliation: Institut für Chemie, Physikalische Chemie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, von-Danckelmann-Platz, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weissflog
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0215, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Walba
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Maclennan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390, USA.
authors.forename: Noel A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D007536:Isomerism; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D044367:Phase Transition