Tomczyk Wojciech, Longa Lech
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Kraków, Poland.
Soft Matter. 2020 May 13;16(18):4350-4357. doi: 10.1039/d0sm00078g.
What are the prerequisites for acquiring a stable twist-bend nematic phase (NTB)? Addressing this question has led to the synthesis of a vast number of new compounds, concluding each time that the molecule's shape is one of the predominant factors. Inspired by the expanding knowledge of different achiral bent-shaped molecules forming a twist-bend nematic phase, we reinvestigate the interplay between a molecule's bend angle and a molecule's arms molecular biaxiality. Employing our previously developed generalized mean-field model, we explore more obtuse bend angles. We observe direct phase transition sequences between locally biaxial and uniaxial variants of NTB, along with biaxial and uniaxial nematic phases. Additionally, we present a comprehensive overview of how phase diagrams evolve according to alterations in the value of the bend angle and the magnitude of biaxiality.
获得稳定的扭曲弯曲向列相（NTB）的先决条件是什么？对这个问题的研究促使人们合成了大量新化合物，每次都得出分子形状是主要因素之一的结论。受形成扭曲弯曲向列相的不同非手性弯曲分子知识不断扩展的启发，我们重新研究了分子的弯曲角与分子臂的分子双轴性之间的相互作用。利用我们之前开发的广义平均场模型，我们探索了更钝的弯曲角。我们观察到NTB的局部双轴和单轴变体之间以及双轴和单轴向列相之间的直接相变序列。此外，我们全面概述了相图如何根据弯曲角值和双轴性大小的变化而演变。
