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Updated: Sep 27, 2025

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
Controlling spontaneous chirality in achiral materials: liquid crystal oligomers and the heliconical twist-bend
M M Majewska1, E Forsyth2, D Pociecha1
1Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, ul. Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland. mmajewska@chem.uw.edu.pl.
Abstract:
Liquid crystal oligomers, namely dimers, trimers and tetramers, consisting of cyanobiphenyl and benzylideneaniline-based mesogenic units connected by either linear or bent alkoxy or alkyl spacers are reported. These materials, although built from achiral molecules, show the spontaneously chiral heliconical twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase. We report the relationships between the shape of the oligomer, and the NTB phase stability, the temperature dependence of the helical pitch length and tilt angle, birefringence, and elastic constants.
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