External electric field reverses helical handedness of a supramolecular columnar stack.
Benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) molecules self-assemble into one-dimensional columnar structures that possess a macrodipole moment along the stacking direction. Application of an external electric field on their liquid crystalline (LC) phase consisting of aligned stacks leads to a net polarization whose sign can be reversed by changing the direction of the field. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations predict that such an experiment must be associated with the reversal of helical handedness of the stacks as well. An experiment to demonstrate this prediction in a chiral supramolecular assembly is proposed.
Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore 560 064, India. bala@jncasr.ac.in.
Karteek K
KK
Bejagam
Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore 560 064, India. bala@jncasr.ac.in and New Chemistry Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore 560 064, India. george@jncasr.ac.in.
Chidambar
C
Kulkarni
New Chemistry Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore 560 064, India. george@jncasr.ac.in.
Subi J
SJ
George
Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore 560 064, India. bala@jncasr.ac.in.
Sundaram
S
Balasubramanian