Spontaneous formation of macroscopic chiral domains in a fluid smectic phase of achiral molecules |
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| Authors: | DR Link G Natale R Shao JE Maclennan NA Clark E Korblova DM Walba |
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| Institution: | D. R. Link, G. Natale, R. Shao, J. E. Maclennan, N. A. Clark, Department of Physics, Condensed Matter Laboratory, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. E. Korblova and D. M. Walba, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Univ. |
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| Abstract: | A smectic liquid-crystal phase made from achiral molecules with bent cores was found to have fluid layers that exhibit two spontaneous symmetry-breaking instabilities: polar molecular orientational ordering about the layer normal and molecular tilt. These instabilities combine to form a chiral layer structure with a handedness that depends on the sign of the tilt. The bulk states are either antiferroelectric-racemic, with the layer polar direction and handedness alternating in sign from layer to layer, or antiferroelectric-chiral, which is of uniform layer handedness. Both states exhibit an electric field-induced transition from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric. |
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