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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Orientational Switching as an Extra Degree of Freedom in Self-Assembled C70 and Octanethiol on Au(111)
Ying Gao1, Bosheng Li1, Hualin Yang1
1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K.
Abstract:
We investigated the coassembly of oval-shaped C70 and rod-like octanethiol on the Au(111) substrate. We find that C70 can switch between two orientations: (i) long axis perpendicular to the substrate and (ii) long axis parallel to the substrate. This switching capability offers an extra degree of freedom in optimizing space filling, and it leads to structural diversity. By switching between two orientations, the C70 molecule effectively plays a dual role in the creation of the self-assembled structures. The orientation of the octanethiol rod can also change in response to the local environment. Such an orientational degree of freedom is expected to play an important role in many physical systems covering multiple length scales.
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