  Lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal phases are ubiquitously observed in
biological and synthetic polymer solutions, characterized by a complex
interplay between thermal fluctuations, entropic and enthalpic forces. The
elucidation of the link between microscopic features and macroscopic chiral
structure, and of the relative roles of these competing contributions on phase
organization, remains a topical issue. Here we provide theoretical evidence of
a novel mechanism of chirality amplification in lyotropic liquid crystals,
whereby phase chirality is governed by fluctuation-stabilized helical
deformations in the conformations of their constituent molecules. Our results
compare favorably to recent experimental studies of DNA origami assemblies and
demonstrate the influence of intra-molecular mechanics on chiral
supra-molecular order, with potential implications for a broad class of
experimentally-relevant colloidal systems.
