Spontaneous helielectric nematic liquid crystals: Electric analog to helimagnets

Recently, a type of ferroelectric nematic fluid has been discovered in liquid crystals in which the molecular polar nature at molecule level is amplified to macroscopic scales through a ferroelectric packing of rod-shaped molecules. Here, we report on the experimental proof of a polar chiral liquid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2021-10, Vol.118 (42), p.1-9
Main Authors: Zhao, Xiuhu, Zhou, Junchen, Li, Jinxing, Kougo, Junichi, Wan, Zhe, Huang, Mingjun, Aya, Satoshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crystals
Ferroelectric materials
Ferroelectricity
Helicity
Liquid crystals
Nematic crystals
Physical Sciences
Rod shaped molecules
Room temperature
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Summary:Recently, a type of ferroelectric nematic fluid has been discovered in liquid crystals in which the molecular polar nature at molecule level is amplified to macroscopic scales through a ferroelectric packing of rod-shaped molecules. Here, we report on the experimental proof of a polar chiral liquid matter state, dubbed helielectric nematic, stabilized by the local polar ordering coupled to the chiral helicity. This helielectric structure carries the polar vector rotating helically, analogous to the magnetic counterpart of helimagnet. The helielectric state can be retained down to room temperature and demonstrates gigantic dielectric and nonlinear optical responses. This matter state opens a new chapter for developing the diverse polar liquid crystal devices.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2111101118