School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
Molecules. 2022 Apr 21;27(9):2689. doi: 10.3390/molecules27092689.
The discovery of the twist-bend nematic phase (N) is a milestone within the field of liquid crystals. The N phase has a helical structure, with a repeat length of a few nanometres, and is therefore chiral, even when formed by achiral molecules. The discovery and rush to understand the rich physics of the N phase has provided a fresh impetus to the design and characterisation of dimeric and oligomeric liquid crystalline materials. Now, ten years after the discovery of the N phase, we review developments in this area, focusing on how molecular features relate to the incidence of this phase, noting the progression from simple symmetrical dimeric materials towards complex oligomers, non-covalently bonded supramolecular systems.
扭波折带向列相（N 相）的发现是液晶领域的一个里程碑。N 相具有螺旋结构，重复长度为数纳米，因此即使由非手性分子形成，也是手性的。N 相的发现和对其丰富物理性质的急于理解为二聚体和低聚液晶材料的设计和特性提供了新的动力。现在，在 N 相发现十年后，我们回顾了这一领域的发展，重点关注分子特征与该相出现的关系，注意从简单对称二聚体材料向复杂低聚物、非共价键合超分子系统的发展。
