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Electric‐Field‐Driven Deracemization
Author(s) -
Kane Alexander,
Shao RenFan,
Maclennan Joseph E.,
Wang Lixing,
Walba David M.,
Clark Noel A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.200600463
Subject(s) - electric field , mesogen , field (mathematics) , liquid crystal , enantiomer , chemical physics , homogeneous , diffusion , phase (matter) , chemistry , materials science , condensed matter physics , thermodynamics , physics , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , liquid crystalline , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics
Abstract We demonstrate, both theoretically and experimentally, that it is possible to use an electric field to drive the formation of macroscopic chiral (conglomerate) domains from an initially homogeneous fluid racemate. Field‐induced segregation is exhibited in a fluid smectic liquid‐crystal phase of a racemic mesogen, wherein enantiomerically‐enriched domains are readily identifiable by their chiral electro‐optical response. The sharp field‐generated boundaries that form between opposite‐handed domains broaden by diffusion in the absence of field, but reform rapidly if the field is switched on again, providing unambiguous evidence for the field‐driven physical separation of enantiomers. A mean‐field model successfully describes the steady‐state and the dynamic evolution of conglomerate formation.