Ambidextrous chiral domains in nonchiral liquid-crystalline materials

Recently, we studied equilibrium properties of the Lebwohl–Lasher model with quadrupolar and octupolar interactions in the large twist limit. A complete mean field analysis of the model and Monte Carlo simulations were presented to show a global stabilization of new structures like tetrahedratic, nematic tetrahedratic, and chiral nematic tetrahedratic phases of Td, D2d, and D2 symmetry, respectively. Here, by means of Monte Carlo simulation on two-dimensional system, we show that the model can also give a molecular interpretation of macroscopic regions with opposite optical activity (ambidextrous chirality), observed in achiral bent-core systems, and recently in ferrocenomesogens and flexible liquid crystal dimers. The resulting superstructures include short- and long-range twist deformations.