Planar Anchoring of C₇₀ Liquid Crystals Using a Covalent Organic Framework Template

The surface-induced anchoring effect is a well-developed technique to control the growth of liquid crystals (LCs). Nevertheless, a defined nanometer-scale template has never been used to induce the anchored growth of LCs with molecular building units. Scanning tunneling microscopy results at the solid/liquid interface reveal that a 2D covalent organic framework (COF-1) can offer an anchoring effect to template C₇₀ molecules into forming several LC mesophases, which cannot be obtained under other conditions. Through comparison with the C₆₀ system, a stepwise breakdown in ordering of C₇₀ LC is observed. The process is described in terms of the effects of molecular anisotropy on the epitaxial growth of molecular crystals. The results suggest that using a surface-confined template to anchor the initial layer of LC molecules can be a modular and potentially broadly applicable approach for organizing molecular mesogens into LCs.