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The synthesis and thermotropic properties of four homologous series of salicylaldimine-based dimer liquid crystals are reported. Two 4-(4-alkoxy-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)benzoyloxy groups are connected to a central part consisting of a 1,3-phenylene, 1,5-pentylene, 2,2-dimethyl-1,5-pentylene or 3,3-dimethyl-1,5-pentylene unit. The terminal alkoxy chains have been varied from 4 to 16 carbon atoms in length. All the compounds exhibit liquid crystalline phases whose behaviour depends on the nature of the central part and the length of the alkoxy terminal chains. All compounds of the series with the central phenyl part exhibit enantiotropic B-phases, and the sequence B 6 -B 1 -B 2 on increasing terminal chain length was observed. Replacement of the phenyl group with a pentyl central group partly suppresses the formation of B-phases. The longer homologues of this series show the B 1 phase, while the shorter exhibit an intercalated SmC c mesophase. The introduction of methyl substituents to the pentyl spacer causes the melting points to fall dramatically and the formation of B-phases is totally suppressed. The compounds with the long tails show intercalated SmA c phases and those with short tails show intercalated SmC c phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates cholesterol-containing liquid crystal dimers with ether linkages between the spacer and mesogenic units. Studies of three series of chiral liquid crystalline dimers, namely a cholesteryl and a cyanobiphenylyl, butoxybiphenylyl or hexyloxybiphenylyl group connected to a variable alkyl spacer through ether linkages; Phase behavior of compounds with ether and ester linkages; Melting points of the compounds with ether linkages.