Two‐Dimensional Skyrmion Lattice Formation in a Nematic Liquid Crystal Consisting of Highly Bent Banana Molecules |
| |
| Authors: | Prof. Dr. Sungmin Kang Dr. Eun‐Woo Lee Tianqi Li Prof. Dr. Xiaobin Liang Prof. Dr. Masatoshi Tokita Prof. Dr. Ken Nakajima Prof. Dr. Junji Watanabe |
| |
| Affiliation: | Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan |
| |
| Abstract: | We synthesized a novel banana‐shaped molecule based on a 1,7‐naphthalene central core that exhibits a distinct mesomorphism of the nematic‐to‐nematic phase transition. Both the X‐ray profile and direct imaging of atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations clearly indicates the formation of an anomalous nematic phase possessing a two‐dimensional (2D) tetragonal lattice with a large edge (ca. 59 Å) directed perpendicular to the director in the low‐temperature nematic phase. One plausible model is proposed by an analogy of skyrmion lattice in which two types of cylinders formed from left‐ and right‐handed twist‐bend helices stack into a 2D tetragonal lattice, diminishing the inversion domain wall. |
| |
| Keywords: | bent-shaped molecule liquid crystals nematic phase phase transition tetragonal symmetry |
|
