Pentaerythritol Derived Tetrapode Exhibiting a Nematic-Like Mesophase at Ambient Temperatures |
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Authors: | Jodie L. Hann Dr. Richard J. Mandle |
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Affiliation: | Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, UK, YO10 5DD |
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Abstract: | The nematic liquid-crystalline phase exhibits average orientational order, with no positional organisation. So-called modulated nematic phases exhibit this same orientational order with an additional spatially periodic modulation of the nematic director, the most common of which is the twist-bend nematic phase. We report a pentaerythritol derived tetrapode which exhibits a nematic-like mesophase at ambient temperature, and we denote this new mesophase ‘NX’ to indicate a nematic phase of unknown structure. X-ray scattering experiments refute the possibility of positional order, yet optical textures are consistent with a periodic structure. We suggest that the mesophase exhibited by this material is a new type of nematic-like mesophase with some form of modulated structure. We find the NX phase to exhibit an electrooptic response consistent with a nematic-like phase. |
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Keywords: | liquid crystals mesophase nematics soft matter X-ray scattering |
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