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arXiv · 2310.07586

Synthesis of achiral rod-shaped triazolic molecules and investigation of their striped texture and propeller-patterned nematic droplets

Souria Benalloua·Salima Saidi-Besbes·Abdelatif Bouyacoub·Eric Grelet
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Abstract

In this study, novel achiral mesogens containing 4,4'-biphenyl central core connected on both sides through an ester function to 1-(4-(alkyloxy)phenyl)-1H-[1,2,3]-triazolyl group have been synthesized and characterized. Different mesophases have been identified, with the appearance of both a periodic striped pattern and propeller-patterned droplets close to the transition between the nematic and the smectic-C phases. This periodic texture has been found to be independent of the geometry of the sample cell. These observations suggest a spontaneous symmetry breaking which can result either from an intrinsic enantioselective self-sorting process with a chirality synchronization mechanism, or from an extrinsic surface mechanism at the interface between the two phases.

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Souria Benalloua, Salima Saidi-Besbes, Abdelatif Bouyacoub, Eric Grelet. 2023-10-11. Synthesis of achiral rod-shaped triazolic molecules and investigation of their striped texture and propeller-patterned nematic droplets. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678292.2023.2201580

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