Structural characteristics of the B6 phase for a bent-core molecular system observed through the B1-B6 transition

A bent-shaped molecule exhibiting the mesophase sequence of B6-B1 was studied to understand the structural characteristics of the B6 phase compared with those of the B1 phase. A well-oriented sample was prepared in a magnetic field and examined by wide-angle x-ray diffraction measurements through the B6-B1 phase transition. The B6 phase has been considered to show only the (002) reflection, but this B6 phase showed broad scattering just inside the (002) reflection. The broad scattering has an intensity maximum at a very similar position to that of the (101) reflection in B1 and evolves into the well-defined (101) reflection on cooling into B1. Thus, B6 has a similar frustrated structure to B1, but the size of the antidomain in B6 may be dynamically distributed while B1 possesses an antidomain of definite size.