The helical nanofilament (HNF) liquid crystal phase is a member of an unusual class of thermotropic phases with lamellar structures dominated by a tendency towards developing negative Gaussian curvature of the layers. Members of this family are sometimes termed “dark conglomerates,” due to their behavior in polarized light microscopy. These include a fluid phases - the high temperature dark conglomerate phase, which is a kind of sponge phase, and the low temperature dark conglomerate phase, also seemingly a sponge phase with structural details currently under investigation. The HNF phase, also a “dark conglomerate,” seems to be unique in the family, since slow conformational dynamics indicate a quasi-crystalline structure within layers, but no long range positional correlations across layers. We have been exploring possible applications of the HNF phase, which is highly porous, as a host for the formation of alignable composites for photovoltaics and other organic semiconductor applications. Recent results regarding the structure of these composites, including data suggesting a remarkably elegant nanostructure for HNF-chiral nematic composites, will be discussed.

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David M. Walba, Rebecca A. Callahan, Eva D. Korblova, Dong Chen, Yongqiang Shen, Michael Tuchband, Eric Carlson, Hanim Kim, Garry Rumbles, Sean E. Shaheen, Dong Ki Yoon, and Noel A. Clark, "The helical nanofilament phase as a host for creation of aligned, nanostructured composites (Presentation Recording)," Proc. SPIE 9565, Liquid Crystals XIX, 95650Z (Presented at SPIE Organic Photonics + Electronics: August 10, 2015; Published: 5 October 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189091.4519371792001.