Enantioselective segregation has been attained in the Bx phase of a novel substituted oxadiazole achiral banana-shaped liquid crystal (LC) without introducing any chiral species. This bent-core molecule exhibits LC polymorphism
the higher temperature nematic (N) phase and the lower temperature banana smectic phase (Bx phase), in which spontaneous chiral segregation with (+) and (-) chiral domains occurs with equal probabilities. In twisted cell geometries, extrinsically induced twisted N structures are formed and result in intrinsically chiral conglomorate when the temperature is decreased from N to Bx. The observed optical activity in homochiral Bx phase is comparable to those theoretically predicted and is proportional to the cell thickness. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.