Struktur und Dynamik der nematischen Phasen aus bent-core Mesogenen mit starken smektischen Fluktuationen (Fortsetzung)

This proposal continues the extensive and fruitful collaboration initiated in the first work period between the Department of Nonlinear Phenomena at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (PI EREMIN) and the Department of Organic Chemistry at Martin Luther University Halle (PI TSCHIERSKE). In the first work period, new experimental techniques were employed and significant progress achieved in understanding the relation between the molecular structure and the development of polar correlations in condensed smectic phases. New mesophases were found and their structures established. Insight into smectic correlations in the nematic phases of dimeric mesogens were studied. The following research is aimed at expanding these studies and providing a deeper insight into the physical properties and structure-property relations of mesophases formed by anisometric bent-core and dimeric mesogens. The goal is to gain a fundamental understanding of domain formation and cybotaxis for the development of polar order and spontaneous symmetry breaking and self-assembly phenomena in liquid crystalline phases composed of bent molecules. To achieve this target the following four main topics will be investigated:

1) Further understanding of the transition from short-range to long-range polar order
2) Nematic-to-smectic transitions and new molecular structures of N_TB materials in relation to chiral domain nematic and paraelectric smectic phases.
3) Interaction between molecular chirality, domain formation and polar order
4) Effects of confined geometry on bent-core systems