Banana-shaped liquid crystals: a new field to explore

Abstract

The recent literature in the field of liquid crystals shows that “banana-shaped” mesogenic materials represent a bewitching and stimulating field of research that is interesting both academically and in terms of applications. Numerous topics are open to investigation in this area because of the rich phenomenology and new possibilities that these materials offer. The principal concepts in this area are reviewed along with recent results. In addition, new directions to stimulate further research activities are highlighted.