Figure 7.

Typical chiral nematic phases for rod-like molecules in aqueous solutions that form spontaneously. (a) The left-hand helical phases are found for CNCs, but the right-hand chiral phases are precluded. (b) A typical “fingerprint” texture of a chiral nematic phase within the anisotropic region of a suspension of CNCs viewed under cross-polarized light. Reproduced with permission from ref (102). Copyright 1996 American Chemical Society. Image provided courtesy of Prof. Derek G. Gray (McGill University, Canada).