Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The twist‐grain‐boundary (TGB) phases, characterized by a periodic, helical arrangement of blocks made of polar smectic phases, SmA F and SmC F , have been discovered. They are observed for rod‐like molecules with a strong longitudinal dipole moment, featuring an (S)‐2‐methylbutyl end group having only weak twisting power, and emerge below the antiferroelectric SmA AF phase, where the lamellar structure is already well established. It is suggested that the structure is governed by electrostatic interactions amplified by weak chiral forces, in striking contrast to the mechanism of TGB phase formation found in non‐polar materials. The TGB phases exhibit selective light reflection in the visible range, while the value of electric polarization confirms an almost perfectly ordered dipole alignment.
Source: Advanced Science
Authors: Damian Pociecha, Jadwiga Szydlowska, Nataša Vaupotič, Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Marijus Juodka, Julian Spiess, John MD Storey, Corrie T. Imrie, Rebecca Walker, Ewa Gorecka
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,730
Funder: Narodowe Centrum Nauki
Award: G305792063
OpenAlex ID: W4412373809