Wide thermal range frustrated liquid crystal phase in chiral dimers†
Abstract
The existence of a complex and highly frustrated mesophase, namely the twist grain boundary (TGB) phase possessing chiral smectic C (SmC*) blocks, denoted as the TGBC* phase, over an exceptionally wide (105–150 °C) thermal range in chiral dimers has been evidenced by optical, calorimetric, spectroscopic, X-ray and He–Ne laser diffraction studies.