The twist-bend nematic phase: translational self-diffusion and biaxiality studied by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance diffusometry

References

• Šepel M, Lesac A, Baumeister U, et al. Intercalated liquid-crystalline phases formed by symmetric dimers with an α,ω-diiminoalkylene spacer. J Mat Chem. 2007;17:1154–1165. DOI:10.1039/B612517D
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Panov VP, Nagaraj M, Panarin Y, et al. Spontaneous periodic deformations in nonchiral planar-aligned bimesogens with a nematic-nematic transition and a negative elastic constant. Phys Rev Lett. 2010;105:167801.I. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.167801
   Google Scholar
• Cestari M, Diez-Berart S, Dunmur DA, et al. Phase behavior and properties of the liquid-crystal dimer 1″, 7″-bis(4-cyanobiphenyl-4ʹ-yl) heptane,: a twist-bend nematic liquid crystal. Phys Rev E. 2011;84:031704. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.84.031704
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Meyer RB. Structural problems in liquid crystal physics, Les Houches summer school in theoretical physics. In: Balian R, Weil G, editor. 1973 molecular fluids. New York: Gordon and Breach; 1976. p. 273–373.
   Google Scholar
• Dozov I. On the spontaneous symmetry breaking in the mesophases of achiral banana-shaped molecule, Europhys. Lett. 2001;56:247–253.
   Google Scholar
• Chen D, Porada JH, Hooper JB, et al. Chiral heliconical ground state of nano scale pitch in a nematic liquid crystal of achiral molecular dimers. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2013;110:15931–15936. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1314654110
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Greco C, Luckhurst GR, Ferrarini A. Enantiotropic discrimination and director organization of the twist-bend nematic phase. Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2013;15:14961. DOI:10.1039/c3cp52222a
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gorecka E, Salamonczyk M, Zep A, et al. Do the short helices exist in the nematic TB phase? Liq Cryst. 2015;42:1–7. DOI:10.1080/02678292.2014.984646
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Vanakaras AG, Photinos DJ. A molecular theory of the nematic-nematic phase transitions in mesogenic dimers. Soft Matter. 2016;12:2208–2220. DOI:10.1039/C5SM02505B
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hoffmann A, Vanakaras AG, Kohlmeier A, et al. On the structure of the Nx phase of symmetric dimers: inferences from NMR. Soft Matter. 2015;11:850–855. DOI:10.1039/C4SM02480J
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chidichimo G, Yaniv Z, Vaz NAP, et al. Biaxial ordering, self-diffusion, and helix-distortion effects on 2H NMR spectral patterns from cholesteric liquid crystals. Phys Rev. 1982;25:1077–1083. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.25.1077
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Luz Z, Poupko R, Samulski ET. Deuterium NMR and molecular ordering in the cholesteryl alkanoate mesophases. J Chem Phys. 1981;74,:5825–5837. DOI:10.1063/1.440897
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Henderson PA, Imrie CT. Methylene-linked liquid crystal dimers and the twist-bend nematic phase. Liq Cryst. 2011;38:1407–1414. DOI:10.1080/02678292.2011.624368
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Krüger CJ. Diffusion in thermotropic liquid crystals. Phys Rep. 1982;82:229–269. DOI:10.1016/0370-1573(82)90025-4
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dvinskikh SV, Furó I. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of translational diffusion in thermotropic liquid crystals. Russ Chem Rev. 2006;75:497–506. DOI:10.1070/RC2006v075n06ABEH003635
   Google Scholar
• Cifelli M, Domenici V, Dvinskikh SV, et al. Translational self-diffusion in the synclinic to anticlinic phases of a ferroelectric liquid crystal. Soft Matter. 2010;6(5999–6003). DOI:10.1039/c0sm00536c
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cifelli M, Domenici V, Dvinskikh SV, et al. Translational self-diffusion in the smectic phases of ferroelectric liquid crystals: an overview. Phase Transitions. 2012;85:861–871. DOI:10.1080/01411594.2012.687737
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dvinskikh SV, Furó I. Anisotropic self-diffusion in nematic, smectic-A, and reentrant nematic phases. Phys Rev E. 2012;86:031704. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.86.031704
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cifelli M, Domenici V, Kharkov BB, et al. Study of translational diffusion anisotropy of ionic smectogens by NMR diffusometry. Mol Cryst Liq Cryst. 2015;614:30–38. DOI:10.1080/15421406.2015.1049902
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Price WS. Pulsed-field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance as a tool for studying translational diffusion: part 1. Basic theory. Concepts Magn Reson. 1997;9:299–336. DOI:10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0534
   Google Scholar
• van Vaals JJ, Bergman AH. Optimization of eddy current compensation. J Magn Reson. 1990;90:52–70.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Beguin L, Emsley JW, Lelli M, et al. The chirality of a twist-bend nematic phase identified by NMR spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B. 2012;116:7940–7951. DOI:10.1021/jp302705n
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Emsley JW, Lelli M, Lesage A, et al. A comparison of the conformational distributions of the achiral symmetric liquid crystal dimer CB7CB in the achiral nematic and chiral twist-bend nematic phases. J Phys Chem B. 2013;117:6547–6557. DOI:10.1021/jp4001219
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jokisaari JP, Luckhurst GR, Timimi BA, et al. Twist-bend nematic phase of the liquid crystal dimer CB7CB. Orientational order and conical angle determined by 129Xe and 2H NMR spectroscopy. Liq Cryst. 2015;42:708–721.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chu KS, Moroi DS. Self-diffusion in nematic liquid crystals. J Phys Colloq. 1975;33:C1-99-101.
   Google Scholar
• Hess S, Frenkel D, Allen MP. On the anisotropy of the diffusion tensor in nematic liquid crystals: test of a modified affine transformation model via molecular dynamics. Mol Phys. 1991;74:765–774. DOI:10.1080/00268979100102561
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dvinskikh SV, Furó I. Anisotropic self-diffusion in the nematic phase of a thermotropic liquid crystal by 1H-spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance. J Phys Chem. 2001;115(4):1946–1950. DOI:10.1063/1.1381059
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dvinskikh SV, Furó I, Zimmermann H, et al. Anisotropic self-diffusion in thermotropic liquid crystals studied by 1H and 2H pulse-field-gradient spin-echo NMR. Phys Rev E. 2002;65:061701. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.65.061701
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cifelli M, McDonald PJ, Veracini CA. Translational self diffusion in 4-n-octyloxy-4‘-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB) exploited with a static field gradient 1H NMR diffusometry approach. Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2004;6:4701–4706. DOI:10.1039/B407359B
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dvinskikh SV, Furó I, Sandstrom D, et al. Deuterium stimulated-echo-type PGSE NMR experiments for measuring diffusion: application to a liquid crystal. J Magn Reson. 2001;153:83–91. DOI:10.1006/jmre.2001.2418
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Prampolini G, De Gaetani L. Computational study through atomistic potentials of a partial bilayer liquid crystal: structure and dynamics. Soft Matter. 2009;5:3517–3526. DOI:10.1039/b908413d
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Meyer C, Dozov I. Analogy between the twist-bend nematic and the smectic A phase and the coarse-grained description of the macroscopic NTB properties. Soft Matter. 2016;10:574–580. DOI:10.1039/C5SM02018B
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Imrie CT, Luckhurst GR. Liquid crystal dimers and oligomers. In: Goodby JW, Collings PJ, Kato T, et al., editors. Handbook of liquid crystals. 2nd ed. Vol. 7. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; Weinhein, Germany 2014, Chapter 5, P. 169.
   Google Scholar
• Meyer C, Luckhurst GR, Dozov I. The temperature dependence of the heliconical tilt angle in the twist-bend nematic phase of the odd dimer CB7CB. J Mater Chem C. 2015;3:318–328. DOI:10.1039/C4TC01927J
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sugimura A, Luckhurst GR. Deuterium NMR investigations of field-induced alignment of nematic liquid crystals. Prog NMR Spect. 2016;94–95:37–74. DOI:10.1016/j.pnmrs.2016.01.002
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Luckhurst GR. Biaxial nematic liquid crystals: fact or fiction? Thin Solid Films. 2001;393:40–52. DOI:10.1016/S0040-6090(01)01091-4
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar