Emergent biaxiality in chiral hybrid liquid crystals

Wu, Jin-Sheng; Lázaro, Marina Torres; Mundoor, Haridas; Wensink, Henricus H.; Smalyukh, Ivan I.

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-54236-8

Emergent biaxiality in chiral hybrid liquid crystals

Journal Article · Sat Nov 16 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Nature Communications

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54236-8· OSTI ID:3018606

^[1]; ^[2]; Mundoor, Haridas ^[1]; Wensink, Henricus H. ^[2]; ^[3]

University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Université Paris-Saclay & CNRS, Orsay (France)
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima (Japan); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Boulder, CO (United States)

Biaxial nematic liquid crystals are fascinating systems sometimes referred to as the Higgs boson of soft matter because of experimental observation challenges. Here we describe unexpected states of matter that feature biaxial orientational order of colloidal supercritical fluids and gases formed by sparse rodlike particles. Colloidal rods with perpendicular surface boundary conditions exhibit a strong biaxial symmetry breaking when doped into conventional chiral nematic fluids. Minimization of free energy prompts these particles to orient perpendicular to the local molecular director and the helical axis, thereby imparting biaxiality on the hybrid molecular-colloidal system. The ensuing phase diagram features colloidal gas and liquid and supercritical colloidal fluid states with long-range biaxial orientational symmetry, as supported by analytical and numerical modeling at all hierarchical levels of ordering. Unlike for nonchiral hybrid systems, dispersions in chiral nematic hosts display biaxial orientational order at vanishing colloid volume fractions, promising both technological and fundamental research utility.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: French National Research Agency (ANR); National Science Foundation; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019293

OSTI ID:: 3018606

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 15; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Springer Science and Business Media LLCCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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