By performing tender resonant X-ray scattering measurements at the sulfur K-edge, we discovered their distinctly different nanoscopic helical pitch lengths. We found that both homologues ( n = 4 and 6) displayed distinct phase-transition properties and optical textures with respect to the N TB phases.

Both the series (excluding n = 2) formed N TB phases in which the homologues ( n = 4 and 6) exhibited the N TB phases across a broad temperature range, which were observed to be stable even at room temperature and eventually formed N TB glasses. CBCOO nSCB and CBOCO nSCB ( n = 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10). Herein we demonstrate the distinct nano-to-macroscopic N TB phase behaviors associated with the ester-bond direction in two homologous series of sulfur-containing cyanobiphenyl-based LC dimers, viz. The twist-bend nematic phase (N TB) is a new spontaneous symmetry-breaking phenomenon observed in fluidic liquid crystal (LC) phases, which possesses a heliconical structure with a pitch ranging from several to tens of nanometers.

Phase ten twist