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Nature Chemistry (7 August 2009) | doi:10.1038/nchem.356

Liquid crystals: Chiral fluids and filaments

Anne Pichon

The chirality, or handedness, of molecular systems is of significant interest in many areas and the spontaneous formation of chiral crystals, clusters or monolayers have been observed with a variety of chiral and achiral molecules. In particular, achiral bent-core — or 'boomerang'-shaped — molecules organize into layered liquid-crystal phases with chiral domains.