Pentaerythritol Derived Tetrapode Exhibiting a Nematic‐Like Mesophase at Ambient Temperatures

Abstract The nematic liquid‐crystalline phase exhibits average orientational order, with no positional organisation. So‐called modulated nematic phases exhibit this same orientational order with an additional spatially periodic modulation of the nematic director, the most common of which is the twist‐bend nematic phase. We report a pentaerythritol derived tetrapode which exhibits a nematic‐like mesophase at ambient temperature, and we denote this new mesophase ‘NX’ to indicate a nematic phase of unknown structure. X‐ray scattering experiments refute the possibility of positional order, yet optical textures are consistent with a periodic structure. We suggest that the mesophase exhibited by this material is a new type of nematic‐like mesophase with some form of modulated structure. We find the NX phase to exhibit an electrooptic response consistent with a nematic‐like phase.