Tilt or twist-competing synclinic and anticlinic interactions in SmC phases of bent-core mesogens
arxiv(2024)
摘要
Recent liquid-crystalline (LC) research is focused on structurally new
molecular systems distinct from simple nematic or smectic phases. Sophisticated
molecular shape may reveal structural complexity, combining helicity and
polarity. Achiral symmetry-breaking in bent-core molecules leads to propensity
for synclinic and anticlinic molecular structures within consecutive smectic
layers. Moreover, despite their achiral character, dimers readily adopt helical
phases. In our study, we investigated a hybrid molecular structure
incorporating both characteristics, namely a rigid-bent core and an attached
bulky polar group via a flexible spacer. To perform phase identification, we
enriched the standard experimental methods with the sophisticated resonant soft
x-ray scattering. Notably, we have observed a distinct preference for specific
phase types depending on the length of the homologue. Longer homologues exhibit
a predisposition towards the formation of tilted smectic phases, characterized
by complex sequences of synclinic and anticlinic interfaces. Conversely,
shorter homologues manifest a propensity for helical smectic structures. For
intermediate homologues, the frustration is alleviated through the formation of
several modulated smectic phases. Based on the presented research, we describe
the preconditions for high level structures in relation with conflicting
constraints.
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