Graphene chiral liquid crystals and macroscopic assembled fibres

Chirality and liquid crystals are both widely expressed in nature and biology. Helical assembly of mesophasic molecules and colloids may produce intriguing chiral liquid crystals. To date, chiral liquid crystals of 2D colloids have not been explored. As a typical 2D colloid, graphene is now receiving unprecedented attention. However, making macroscopic graphene fibres is hindered by the poor dispersibility of graphene and by the lack of an assembly method. Here we report that soluble, chemically oxidized graphene or graphene oxide sheets can form chiral liquid crystals in a twist-grain-boundary phase-like model with simultaneous lamellar ordering and long-range helical frustrations. Aqueous graphene oxide…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 20974093, 2009QNA4040, 2010R10021, 51173162
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
• SR
  Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province