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Updated: Jul 30, 2025

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
Collective bending motion of a two-dimensionally correlated bowl-stacked columnar liquid crystalline assembly under a
Yoshiaki Shoji1,2, Ryo Komiyama2, Miki Kobayashi2
1Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan.
Abstract:
Stacked teacups inspired the idea that columnar assemblies of stacked bowl-shaped molecules may exhibit a unique dynamic behavior, unlike usual assemblies of planar disc- and rod-shaped molecules. On the basis of the molecular design concept for creating higher-order discotic liquid crystals, found in our group, we synthesized a sumanene derivative with octyloxycarbonyl side chains. This molecule forms an ordered hexagonal columnar mesophase, but unexpectedly, the columnar assembly is very soft, similar to sugar syrup. It displays, upon application of a shear force on solid substrates, a flexible bending motion with continuous angle variations of bowl-stacked columns while preserving the two-dimensional hexagonal order. In general, alignment control of higher-order liquid crystals is difficult to achieve due to their high viscosity. The present system that brings together higher structural order and mechanical softness will spark interest in bowl-shaped molecules as a component for developing higher-order liquid crystals with unique mechanical and stimuli-responsive properties.
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