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Like bananas in a bunch, bent-core molecules tend to pack together in layers
but have difficulty forming spatial arrangements that are uniform. The most
exotic example of this is the B4 phase, the structure of which was recently
deciphered by Center researchers and collaborators. This atomic force
microscopy image shows the contortions of the layering in this phase, which
fills space with layers having a saddle-like deformation, a consequence of
intra-layer packing frustration.
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 Saddle-Splayed Layers of the B4 Phase |
