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The central spacer in liquid crystal bimesogens influences their properties. This study found that chiral spacers can induce helical twisting power and chiral nematic phases, with larger mesogenic units promoting diverse liquid crystal phases.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Liquid crystalline materials, including dimers, bimesogens, and oligomers, are extensively studied.
  • The influence of the central spacer group on the properties of these mesogenic systems has received less attention.
  • Chirality within the molecular structure can significantly impact liquid crystal phase behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the central spacer in phenyl 4-cyanobenzoate bimesogens.
  • To synthesize and characterize a chiral bimesogen (compound 1) with a methyl group at the 2-position of the central spacer.
  • To evaluate the helical twisting power and phase behavior of compound 1 and its analogues.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of a chiral bimesogen incorporating a substituted phenyl benzoate core.
  • Measurement of helical twisting power (HTP) in nematic liquid crystal hosts (5CB and E7).
  • Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) for phase characterization.

Main Results:

  • Compound 1, a chiral bimesogen, demonstrated significant helical twisting power (0.36 and 0.35 μm⁻¹ wt%⁻¹ in 5CB and E7, respectively).
  • Compound 1 exhibited a monotropic chiral nematic phase but did not display a twist-bend modulated phase.
  • Analogues with larger mesogenic units showed varied liquid crystal phases, including chiral nematic, twist-bend (TB), smectic C (SmC), and smectic B (SmB) phases.
  • Analogues with smaller aspect ratios were non-mesogenic.

Conclusions:

  • The central spacer's structure, particularly its chirality, plays a crucial role in dictating the liquid crystalline properties of bimesogens.
  • Chirality in the spacer can induce helical structures and chiral nematic phases.
  • The aspect ratio and nature of the mesogenic units significantly influence the type and stability of observed liquid crystal phases, including TB, SmC, and SmB phases.