Molecular Symmetry Breaking and Chiral Expression of Discotic Liquid Crystals in Two-Dimensional Systems

Abstract

We have studied the self-assembled monolayers from a series of discotic liquid crystal molecules on graphite substrate using scanning tunneling microscopy. An emergence of chirality in 1,7,13-trialkanoyldecacyclene (with n -carbon side chains, n = 14) monolayers was observed in the assembly. The driving force of the assembling behavior could be related to a cooperative interaction mechanism, possibly due to intermolecular steric hindrance, two-dimensional crystallization of alkyl substitutents.