Shaanxi International Research Center for Soft Matter, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behaviour of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P.R. China.
MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P.R. China.
Nano Lett. 2022 Jun 8;22(11):4569-4575. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c01525. Epub 2022 May 18.
Here, we report the relationship between helical pitch of the helical nanofilament (HNF) phase formed by bent-core molecule NOBOW and the concentration of achiral dopants 5CB and octane, using linearly polarized resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS). Utilizing theory-based simulation, which fits well with the experiments, the molecular helices in the filament were probed and the superstructure of helical 5CB directed by groove of HNFs was observed. Quantitative pitch determination with RSoXS reveals that helical pitch variation is related to 5CB concentration with no temperature dependence. Doping rodlike immiscible 5CB led to a pitch shortening of up to 30%, which was attributed to a change in interfacial tension. By shedding light not only on phase behavior of binary systems but also enabling control over pitch length, our work may benefit various applications of HNF-containing binary systems, including optical rotation devices, circularly polarized light emitters, and chirality transfer agents.
在这里，我们利用线偏振共振软 X 射线散射（RSoXS）技术报道了由扭曲棒状分子 NOBOW 形成的螺旋纳米丝（HNF）相的螺旋螺距与手性掺杂剂 5CB 和辛烷浓度之间的关系。通过基于理论的模拟，该模拟与实验拟合得很好，探测了细丝中的分子螺旋，并观察到由 HNF 沟槽引导的螺旋 5CB 的超结构。利用 RSoXS 进行定量螺距测定表明，螺距变化与 5CB 浓度有关，与温度无关。掺杂棒状不混溶的 5CB 导致螺距缩短高达 30%，这归因于界面张力的变化。我们的工作不仅揭示了二元体系的相行为，还实现了对螺距长度的控制，这可能有益于包含 HNF 的二元体系的各种应用，包括旋光器件、圆偏振光发射器和手性转移剂。
