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Science 23 June 2000:
Vol. 288. no. 5474, pp. 2184 - 2187
DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5474.2184
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Reports

An Orientational Transition of Bent-Core Molecules in an Anisotropic Matrix

R. Pratibha, N. V. Madhusudana, * B. K. Sadashiva

We report the discovery of an orientational transition of bent-core molecules in a background anisotropic medium, in this case a smectic liquid crystal made of rod-like molecules. The resulting director is apolar in nature, and the medium can be described as an orthogonal biaxial smectic. The detailed phase diagram of mixtures of the two types of compounds revealed the induction of two liquid crystalline phases that are specific to compounds with bent-core molecules. The chemical nature of the bounding surface had a marked influence on the observed textures.

Raman Research Institute, Bangalore 560 080, India.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: nvmadhu{at}rri.ernet.in

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)