Observation of the Chiral and Achiral hexatic phases of self-assembled Micellar polymers.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6610

Title:	Observation of the Chiral and Achiral hexatic phases of self-assembled Micellar polymers.
Authors:	Pal, Antara Kamal, Md. Arif Raghunathan, V.A.
Issue Date:	31-Aug-2016
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Citation:	Scientifc Reports, 2016, Vol. 6, 32313
Abstract:	We report the discovery of a thermodynamically stable line hexatic (N + 6) phase in a three-dimensional (3D) system made up of self-assembled polymer-like micelles of amphiphilic molecules. The experimentally observed phase transition sequence nematic (N) N + 6 two-dimensional hexagonal (2D-H) is in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. Further, the present study also brings to light the effect of chirality on the N + 6 phase. In the chiral N + 6 phase the bond-orientational order within each “polymer” bundle is found to be twisted about an axis parallel to the average polymer direction. This structure is consistent with the theoretically envisaged Moiré state, thereby providing the first experimental demonstration of the Moiré structure. In addition to confirming the predictions of fundamental theories of two-dimensional melting, these results are relevant in a variety of situations in chemistry, physics and biology, where parallel packing of polymer-like objects are encountered.
Description:	Open access
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/2289/6610
ISSN:	2045-2322 (online)
Alternative Location:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep32313
Copyright:	2016 Nature Publishing Group
Appears in Collections:	Research Papers (SCM)

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