In search for novel nematic materials, a laterally linked H-shaped liquid
crystal dimer have been synthesized and characterized. The distinct feature of
the material is a very broad temperature range (about 50 oC) of the nematic
phase, which is in contrast with other reported H-dimers that show
predominantly smectic phases. The material exhibits interesting textural
features at the scale of nanometers (presence of smectic clusters) and at the
macroscopic scales. Namely, at a certain temperature, the flat samples of the
material show occurrence of domain walls. These domain walls are caused by the
surface anchoring transition and separate regions with differently tilted
director. Both above and below this transition temperature the material
represents a uniaxial nematic, as confirmed by the studies of defects in flat
samples and samples with colloidal inclusions, freely suspended drops, X-ray
diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.Comment: 30 pages (including Supplementary Information), 7 Figure
