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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
Rotaxane liquid crystals with variable length: The effect of switching efficiency on the isotropic-nematic transition
Hao He1, Edith M Sevick1, David R M Williams2
1Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Abstract:
We examine a solution of non-adaptive two-state rotaxane molecules which can switch from a short state of length L to a long state of length qL, using statistical thermodynamics. This molecular switching is externally driven and can result in an isotropic-nematic phase transition without altering temperature and concentration. Here we concentrate on the limitation imposed by switching inefficiency, i.e., on the case where molecular switching is not quantitative, leading to a solution of rotaxanes in different states. We present switching diagrams that can guide in the design of rotaxanes which affect a macroscopic phase change.
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