Coarsening in Bent-core Liquid Crystals: Intermediate Splay Bend State en route to the Twist Bend Phase

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to explore the coarsening process in bent-core liquid crystals, revealing an intermediate splay-bend state before the formation of the twist-bend phase, with implications for chiral systems from achiral molecules.

Contribution

It identifies a novel intermediate splay-bend state in the coarsening pathway of bent-core liquid crystals en route to the twist-bend phase.

Findings

Discovery of an intermediate splay-bend state.

Coarsening involves annihilation of beta lines analogous to string defects.

Results applicable to chiral systems assembled from achiral molecules.

Abstract

We use molecular dynamics simulations to study coarsening dynamics in achiral banana-shaped bent-core liquid crystals following a quench from the high concentration polar smectic (SmX) phase to lower concentrations that favor the exotic twist-bend (TB) phase. Our novel result is the identification of an intermediate splay-bend state emerging prior to the eventual TB phase. The latter coarsens via the annihilation of {\it beta lines} which are analogous to string defects in nematic liquid crystals. Our findings are relevant for a large class of chiral systems assembled from achiral entities.