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Liquid crystals

A missing phase found at last?

Molecules that form liquid crystals are usually rod-like, but bend them and a new liquid-crystal phase — a biaxial nematic — should form. Strong evidence for the existence of this phase has only now emerged.

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Figure 1: Nematic phases.

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Luckhurst, G. A missing phase found at last?. Nature 430, 413–414 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/430413a

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