Twisted and frustrated states of matter by John W. Goodby Proceedings A Volume 468(2142): June 8, 2012 ©2012 by The Royal Society

(a) Flat glove with a symmetry plane in the plane of the page, (b) glove with bent fingers, the glove has become chiral, (c) chemical structure of ibuprofen and (d) electron density map of ibuprofen. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

(a) The structure of 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB), (b) molecular associations of 5CB in the nematic phase, (c) the local structure of the nematic phase with the molecules shown as rods (the average parallel ordering is called the director), (d) the milky... John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

(a) The structure of cholesteryl benzoate (CB), (b) a space filling model of the chiral material CB that exhibits a twisted structure, (c) the spiralling structure of the calamitic nematic phase with the molecules shown as rods where the twist direction is... John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

The three levels of chirality in the smectic C* phase, where the dynamically fluctuating molecules are represented as ellipsoids. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Symmetry breaking in the smectic C phase where the molecules are tilted in layers. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Construction of the surface-stabilized bistable ferroelectric display device showing the two stable switched states, one with its spontaneous polarization pointing down (left), the other with it pointing up, in response to the direction of an applied DC ele... John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Transition from a chiral nematic phase to the layered smectic A phase via the formation of a new phase of matter, the twist grain boundary (TGB) phase. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

The phases and transitions (°C) of (S)-1-methylheptyl 4′-[(4′′-n-tetradecyloxyphenyl) propioloyl]oxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate, 14P1M7. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

A section through the stacked helical organization of fibrils in box-fish ‘scutes’ (adapted from Bouligand 1969). John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Christmas (scarab) beetle, Anoplognathus aureus (Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae), (a) normal light, (b) left-hand circularly polarized light, (c) right-hand circularly polarized light. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Schematic of a free-standing film of a smectic A phase that has been heated to the point where a droplet of the chiral nematic phase forms on its surface. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

(a) Filaments forming on the surface of a free-standing film of a smectic A phase, (b) the rotation of the droplet caused by the filamentary growth (in transmission, crossed polars, magnification ×100). John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Schematic of the chiral nano-particle. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Topologies for supermolecular materials: (a) the direction of the orientation of laterally attached mesogens spirals around a spherical scaffold, (b) mesogen orientation spiralling around a rod- like core and (c) a ‘Janus’ supermolecular architecture where o... John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

An example of a nematic director field confined in a spherical geometry where there are four defects. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

(a) A twisted nematic cell containing a non-chiral host nematic material showing competing twist domains, (b) looking vertically at the cell, the defect lines appear straight for the host mixture E7 (×100) and (c) the left- and right-hand domains for E7 dop... John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society

Comparison of the preparation of compound 6 via the synthesis of an intermediate ester using Steglich and Mitsunobu conditions. John W. Goodby Proc. R. Soc. A 2012;468: ©2012 by The Royal Society