Periodically Birefringent Thin Films Grown out of the Isotropic Phase of a Bent-Core Banana-Shaped Liquid Crystal

Abstract

Periodically birefringent thin films growing out of the isotropic phase of the banana-shaped liquid crystal 1,3-phenylene-bis (4-butoxybenzyldiamine) were investigated with polarized optical microscopy. The gown thin films of the periodic modulation of the birefringent index self-assembled by the banana-shaped LC molecules were attributed to the difference of the molecular composing structures. Further the driving forces of the banana-shaped molecular self-assembly were discussed.