Tetrahedral liquid-crystalline networks : Aa A15-like frank-kasper phase based on rod-packing

Abstract

The Pmurn:x-wiley:14337851:media:anie202203447:anie202203447-math-0001 n cubic and other low-symmetry Frank–Kasper phases are known to be formed by soft spheres, ranging from metals to block copolymer micelles and colloidal nanoparticles. Here, we report a series of X-shaped polyphiles composed of sticky rods and two non-symmetric branched side-chains, which self-assemble into the first example of a cubic liquid-crystalline phase representing a tetrahedral network of rods with a Pmurn:x-wiley:14337851:media:anie202203447:anie202203447-math-0002 n lattice. It is the topological dual to the Weaire–Phelan foam, being the Voronoi tessellation of the A15 sphere packing, from which this network is obtained by Delaunay triangulation.