Shape-Assisted Self-Organization in Highly Disordered Liquid Crystal Phases

摘要

In achiral rod-like molecules, a nematic phase is the most disordered liquid crystal phase, which only has onedirectional order in the direction of the molecular long axis. A dumbbell-shaped molecule (compound 3: R C6H10 @ CH=C-C6H4-CH=CH-C6H10-R, (R=nC(5)H(11))), and its liquid crystal phase (X phase) are reported, which exhibit high scattering without thermal fluctuation between two nematic phases under a polarized light optical microscope. TheXphase was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation. A layered structure was ascertained for which a molecular self-organization mechanism was postulated in which the super-structure is based on lateral intermolecular interlocking. A second nematic phase above the X phase consisted of "rice grain"-shaped particles.