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Liquid crystals from curved colloidal rods: waves, twists and more
Carla Fernández-Rico1, Roel P A Dullens2
1Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Summary
Curved microscopic building blocks self-assemble into complex liquid crystal (LC) phases. Studying curved colloidal liquid crystals offers insights into their structure, dynamics, and potential for novel materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Molecular curvature significantly influences self-assembly into orientationally ordered phases.
- While rod-like molecules form limited liquid crystal (LC) phases, curved molecules exhibit over fifty, possessing unique properties like chirality and polarity.
- Microscopic details of banana-shaped liquid crystals remain largely unexplored at the single-molecule level.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight recent advances in the synthesis and assembly of curved colloidal liquid crystals.
- To discuss the relationship between particle shape and phase symmetry in condensed phases.
- To explore the potential of curved colloidal liquid crystals as model systems for studying curved building blocks.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of curved rod-like particles.
- Optical resolution techniques to study structure and dynamics at the single-particle level.
- Assembly of curved colloidal liquid crystals.
Main Results:
- Recent advances enable single-particle level studies of curved building blocks within condensed phases.
- The stability of elusive liquid crystal phases has been confirmed.
- Established a link between particle shape and phase symmetry.
Conclusions:
- Curved colloidal liquid crystals are powerful model systems for understanding curved molecule self-assembly.
- Future research promises the observation of novel phases, like the colloidal twist-bend nematic phase.
- This field offers opportunities for fabricating functional materials with tunable, curvature-dependent properties.
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