Cholesterol-containing liquid crystal dimmers with ether linkages between the spacer and mesogenic units

Three series of chiral liquid crystalline dimers were investigated, having a cholesteryl and a cyanobiphenylyl, butoxybiphenylyl or hexyloxybiphenylyl group connected to a variable alkyl spacer through ether linkages. Their properties were compared with those of the corresponding ester derivatives. The phase behaviour of compounds with ether and ester linkages is comparable, showing N* and SmA phases. The melting points of the compounds with ether linkages are in the same range as those of the ester compounds, but the liquid crystal transition temperatures are lower. The smectic layer spacings and smectic ordering properties are also similar. The cyanobiphenylyl compounds have an interdigitated SmA layer structure, which shows a small odd - even effect with spacer parity. The alkoxybiphenylyl compounds have a monolayer SmA phase for short spacers and an intercalated SmA phase for longer spacers. The selective reflection wavelengths of the chiral nematic phase of the ether compounds are lower than those of the corresponding ester compounds. The transition from N* to interdigitated or monolayer SmA is accompanied by a strong increase in the selective reflection wavelength, indicative of an intermediate TGB phase. This is absent for the transition from N* to intercalated SmA

Liquid crystalline properties of salicylaldiminie-based dimers: influence of terminal alkyl chain length and central part

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 B1 phase, while the shorter exhibit an intercalated SmCc 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 SmCc phases