A Low‐Molar‐Mass, Monodispersive, Bent‐Rod Dimer Exhibiting Biaxial Nematic and Smectic A Phases

Abstract

A “peelable banana” is formed when a bent-core molecule is linked to a rodlike mesogen through a flexible aliphatic spacer. This is an appropriate description of this novel low-molar-mass organic system, which displays a transition from a biaxial nematic (Nb) phase to a biaxial smectic A phase. The illustration gives a schematic representation of the dimeric molecules in the Nb phase as well as the corresponding textural and conoscopic patterns obtained.