Search

The phase behaviour of two achiral bent core banana-shaped compounds, the hexyloxy (compound I) and decyloxy (compound II) members of the 1,3-phenylene bis[N-(2-hydroxy-4-n-alkoxybenzylidene)-4′-aminobenzoate] series was investigated under hydrostatic pressures up to 300 MPa using high pressure differential thermal analysis and light transmission methods. The reversible transition sequence crystal (Cr1)–B1 phase–isotropic liquid (I), observed at room pressure for compound I, remains in the pressure region up to c 70 MPa. At higher pressures a pressure-induced crystalline phase (Cri) appears between the Cr1 and B1 phases, its temperature region becoming wider with increasing pressure. The temperature vs. pressure phase diagram shows a triple point of 72.9 MPa and 160.3°C for the Cr1, Cri and B1 phases, indicating the lower limit of pressure for the Cri phase. In compound II the reversible transition sequence crystal (Cr1)–B2 phase–I is seen over the whole pressure region, and the temperature range of the B...

The synthesis and characterization of cholesterol-based dimesogenic bidentate ligands and their Cu(II) and Pd(II) metallomesogens are reported in detail. To understand structure-property relationships in these materials the terminal alkoxy chains and the central metal atom have been varied. Our studies reveal that chiral dimesogenic bidentate ligands with n-butyloxy chains exhibit smectic A (SmA), twist grain boundary and chiral nematic (N*) mesophases while substitution with either n -decyloxy or 3,7-dimethyloctyloxy chains also show a ferroelectrically switchable chiral smectic C (SmC*) mesophase. The metal complexes with n-butyloxy chains show only the SmA phase whereas higher chain length derivatives exhibit N* phase irrespective of the metal atom present. The ligands are thermally stable whereas their metal complexes, especially Pd(II) systems, seem to be heat sensitive. Spontaneous polarization, response time and tilt angle measurements have been carried out in the smectic C* phase of the two ligands.

We report the synthesis and thermal behaviour of the first chiral organometallic trimesogens having bis[(4-phenyl)ethynyl]mercury as the central core connected on either side to cholesteryl ester moieties through either even-even (C4) or odd-odd (C3, C5 and C7) central alkylene spacers. All the organomercury trimesogens exhibit a chiral nematic phase. These mercury complexes are extremely sensitive to heat, in a manner reminiscent of other reports.

Several symmetrical dimers comprised of salicylaldimine-moieties connected through ester linkages to the termini of odd-parity alkanediols have been synthesized and investigated for their thermal behaviour. In order to understand the structure-property relations, the lengths of the central alkylene spacers (C3 and C5) as well as those of the terminal alkoxy chains (C6 to C22) have been varied. The dimers with a C3-alkylene spacer are non-liquid crystalline, while some of the compounds having a C5-alkylene spacer exhibit liquid crystalline properties. The dimer, with a C5-alkylene spacer and C6-alkoxy tails, shows an intercalated smectic C (SmCc) phase, whereas the C8, C10, C11, and C12 homologues are non-mesomorphic. The higher homologues of this series with C16, C18, C20 and C22 alkoxy tails show a mesophase that has the signatures of a two-dimensional banana (B1) phase. This mesophase is enantiotropic in the C16 and C18 homologues while it is monotropic in the other homologues. In these dimers, the spac...

The first achiral bent-core banana-shaped bidentate ligands and their Cu(II) and Pd(II) metal complexes have been synthesized and investigated for mesomorphic behaviour. The bidentate ligands exhibit only one enantiotropic mesophase. The ligand having C6 -alkoxy chains shows a mesophase that has been assigned as a two-dimensional B1 phase while the C8 and C10 homologues stabilize the fluid B2 mesophase showing antiferroelectric switching characteristics. In constrast, their corresponding Cu(II) and Pd(II) metal complexes are non-mesomorphic.

The molecular design, synthesis and thermal behaviour of the first liquid crystalline tetramers composed of four non-identical mesogenic entities connected covalently through paraffinic spacers are presented. These new molecular structures consisting of a tolan (half disc-shaped), azobenzene (photoactive), biphenyl and cholesteryl ester (thermochromic) cores, connected through either an even-even-odd or an odd-even-odd paraffinic spacer, exhibit features of a columnar mesophase.

A new set of trimesogens consisting of a cholesteryl ester, a biphenyl and an azobenzene mesogenic segment joined together through either odd-even, even-even or odd-odd central alkylene spacers has been synthesized and the liquid crystalline properties investigated. The trimesogens having even-even and odd-odd central alkylene spacers exhibit the undulated twist grain boundary phase (UTGBC*) mesophase over a temperature range of ~40-50°C.