Three-Dimensional Hieratical Twists in Polar Fluids: Chirality Regulation by Ultra-Low Electric Field

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for controlling chirality in polar fluids using an ultra-low electric field, enabling macroscopic twist modulation and optical switching in a three-dimensional chiral system.

Contribution

The study presents a new extrinsic chiral symmetry breaking technique to engineer chirality in polar fluids via an ultralow electric field, creating a controllable 3D chiral system.

Findings

Chirality can be modulated by an ultralow electric field.

The system exhibits unique diffraction patterns.

Circular polarized light switching is achieved.

Abstract

Recently discovered helical polar fluid adopts a spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking (CSB) driven by polarization escape and conformational chirality. Ferroelectric nematic and smectic phases are intrinsically chiral in the ground state and can be stabilized in an extrinsic twisted configuration through surface anchoring. Herein, we introduce extrinsic CSB as a novel technique in chiral engineering. To demonstrate this concept, we constructed the extrinsic structure of a helielectric conical mesophase (HEC)-three-dimensional chiral system. Considering the challenges of controlling chirality at the macroscopic scale owing to magnetic fields, light, and fluid vortex motion, the proposed three-dimensional chiral system enables chirality (twist) modulation through an ultralow electric field, thereby controlling unique diffraction pattern and circular polarized light-switching capabilities.