An l-isosorbide-based reactive chiral dopant with high helical twisting power for cholesteric liquid crystal polymers reflecting left-handed circularly polarized light.

For visible light reflective cholesteric liquid crystal polymers, reactive chiral dopant enantiomers with high helical twisting power are attractive. However, a chiral dopant for reflecting left-handed circularly polarized light has been missing so far. Here, we report the synthesis of a reactive, left-handed, l-isosorbide-based chiral dopant with a high helical twisting power of -48 μm ^-1 that can be used in visible light reflective cholesteric liquid crystal polymers. The right handed dopant enantiomer was also synthesized, showing a helical twisting power of +63 μm ^-1 .
Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare.
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