{"record":{"author":{"account_ref":null,"orcid":null},"builds_on":[],"content_schema":"pubphys.content.revision/1","content_sha256":"aef029e1142d7c2e4cd285b5038aba208ecc4c99ac9bde1bce3f28f92bcbffca","created":"2026-10-03T07:17:57Z","files":[],"origin":{"assisted_by":[],"kind":"seed"},"parents":["5475cf5dc5b1a72283d26dc95dc6e00d7ea4e00096a7c6492e409a1816eeb011"],"salt":"53ae2950708ed0aff5e169d4ae108117af9c811450147f47f8b47710d2cf303b","schema":"pubphys.record/2","site":"pubphys.com","target":null,"type":"revision"},"content":{"answer_type":"mechanism","assisted_by":[],"external_id":"bio.lc-defects.ferroelectric-nematic-origin","kind":"phenomenon","literature_status":"open","n":"1","parents":[],"plain":"Some recently made liquid crystals line up with their electric dipoles all pointing the same way, which makes the fluid strongly polar, like a liquid ferroelectric. Which molecular features cause this is not understood.","posed_since":"","precise":"Materials such as RM734 and DIO form a ferroelectric nematic phase $N_F$ with spontaneous polarization of about $2e4\\,\\mathrm{statC}/\\mathrm{cm}^{2}$; in DIO it is preceded by an antiferroelectric modulated phase ($\\mathrm{SmZ}_A$). Determine the molecular interactions (large longitudinal dipole of order $1e-17\\,\\mathrm{statC}\\,\\mathrm{cm}$, charge distribution along the molecule, steric shape) responsible for polar order, and give a criterion that predicts which molecular structures produce $N_F$ and the intermediate phase.","problem_ref":null,"references":"","settled_by":"A molecular theory or simulation that predicts the presence or absence of $N_{\\mathrm{F}}$ and its transition temperatures for a series of synthesized compounds before measurement.","status_note":"Landau-type and simulation models reproduce polar order for strongly dipolar molecules, but no predictive molecular criterion exists as of 2026.","title":"Molecular origin of the ferroelectric nematic phase","topic_ref":"29d09ff696c4d5fbc16d256673cc371d0985ecc50fd7d3a13d3921e10e53dfd6"},"attested":{"attestation":{"batch":null,"client_id":null,"id_token_sha256":null,"kind":"platform"},"record_hash":"8723e0861f299d62d746e5e6e72a88b7b6f5a6fdab9104e2c1827017fbe9e3d1","schema":"pubphys.attested/1"},"envelope":{"attested_hash":"e64c94dde566c5a11040ad3897a60163f26d9f3aba6d206af1fbf52740e8f227","platform_signature":{"key_id":"c6afc19b31429869751f06879c75cd64ea92654423d15b44be775bf1310a60da","sig":"eVTm6kkIcjnv1NwR5qKofAlJry6AVmpW8N-iEPbLD_Ag_qGdDJFaYwQ1NoRQ7-GZV2aI24EZaOkmXdDPEsoYCA"},"schema":"pubphys.envelope/1"},"record_hash":"8723e0861f299d62d746e5e6e72a88b7b6f5a6fdab9104e2c1827017fbe9e3d1","leaf_index":793}