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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking in a re-entrant isotropic liquid
Christian Dressel1, Wolfgang Weissflog1, Carsten Tschierske1
1Institute of Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes Str.2, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany. carsten.tschierske@chemie.uni-halle.de.
Abstract:
An achiral double-swallow tailed tetracatenar compound forms a re-entrant isotropic liquid between a bicontinuous cubic phase and a nematic liquid crystalline phase. This isotropic liquid was found to represent a conglomerate of two immiscible chiral liquids. The chirality is retained and eventually becomes uniform at the transition to the cubic I432 phase.
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