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Photosensitive liquid crystals represent an important class of functional materials that experience rapid development. Hereby, we present novel bent-core liquid crystals bearing a lateral substitution on the central core and in the vicinity of the photosensitive unit—an azo group. The azo group enables fast (E)-to-(Z)-isomerization upon irradiation with UV-light and visible light, while the substitution facilitates the high stability of the photochemically formed (Z)-isomer. The effectiveness of the irradiation and the composition of photostationary states was determined by UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. A nematic phase formed by the materials was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarizing microscopy. We show that the materials easily change their relative configuration of the N=N double bond not only in solution, but also in the mesophase, which leads to fast isothermal phase transition from the nematic phase to isotropic liquid.

New bent-core liquid crystalline dimers with W-shaped molecular geometry have been prepared and studied. We have modified the dimer shape by variation of the connecting part between two bent-core units and changing the terminal chains (perfluoroalkyl, siloxanealkyl). Additionally, we have altered the inner bend angle value (120°, 60° and 148°) by utilization of different aromatic units. Mesomorphic properties of new dimers were established based on the texture observation in the polarizing microscope and DSC measurements. Moreover, x-ray structural analysis has been performed for selected dimers to confirm phase identification. For most of the studied dimers, nematic or columnar phases have been detected, for several compounds appearing in a nematic-columnar phase sequence on cooling from the isotropic phase. The studied dimers showed richer polymorphism than their monomeric counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have prepared liquid crystalline materials based on hydroxynaphthalene carboxylic acids. The mutual location of both functional groups has been varied, which resulted in compounds possessing a bend angle of 120° and 60°, therefore in bent-core and V-shaped compounds, respectively. The mesomorphic properties have been established with polarizing optical microscopy, DSC measurements and X-ray investigation. The properties of the studied have been compared with analogous derivatives to establish the role of ester orientation in the vicinity of the central naphthalene core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis and study of the mesomorphic behaviour for a series of bent-core materials based on 2-substituted 3-hydroxybenzoic acid as a central unit. Properties of the studied compounds are tuned by lateral substitution (F, Cl, CH3, NO2and CN) in the position 2 of 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and by the length of the terminal alkyl chain. All studied homologues exhibit at least one mesophase. Mesomorphic properties are established and compared with other 3-hyhroxybenzoic derivatives studied previously, with analogous orientation of ester linkages, laterally substituted at different position on the central core. The role of the substitution and the length of the terminal alkyl chain are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have prepared and studied new series of bent-core liquid crystals based on laterally substituted 3-hydroxybenzoic acid. The physical properties of the materials were tuned by the type of lateral substitution in the vicinity of the carboxylic unit. Further modification was achieved by reorientation of connecting ester linkages in the elongating side arms and by changing the length of terminal alkyl chains. The physical properties of the materials were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarising optical microscopy and for selected compounds by x-ray diffraction analysis. The introduction of fluorine as lateral substituent leads to the appearance of a lamellar or columnar mesophase. On contrary, methyl- or chlorine-substituted compounds are mostly crystalline. We have found a strong correlation between the size of the lateral substituent and the mesogenicity of the studied materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A series of new bent-shaped liquid crystals based on 3-aminophenol was synthesised and their mesomorphic behaviour studied by differential scanning calorimetry, polarised optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Generally, the introduction of an amide group leads to a small increase in the clearing temperatures and stabilisation of the formed mesophases in comparison with the structurally related resorcinol based materials. The role of the linking group orientation on mesomorphic properties was also studied. Compounds with an identical orientation of ester groups in the same direction with respect to the central benzene core exhibited the columnar B1 phase for the shortest length of the terminal chain and the lamellar B2 phase for longer homologues. The reorientation of the ester unit(s) in another series resulted in the appearance of another type of columnar phase (B1REV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the continuation of our study of the role of direction of the linking ester group and lateral substitution, we present three series of bent-core liquid crystals based on 7-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid. The mesomorphic properties were investigated by polarised optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and electro-optical methods. For non-substituted and laterally methyl-substituted compounds, columnar phases of broken-layer type and a smectic A phase were found. With the increasing length of the terminal alkyl chain, an increasing stability of the lamellar smectic A phase was observed. Substitution with a methyl group led to substantial narrowing of the mesophase range and the chloro-substituted materials exhibited no mesophases. The results are also discussed in context with the earlier studied naphthalene based mesogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosensitive liquid crystals represent an important class of functional materials that experience rapid development. Hereby, we present novel bent-core liquid crystals bearing a lateral substitution on the central core and in the vicinity of the photosensitive unit—an azo group. The azo group enables fast (E)-to-(Z)-isomerization upon irradiation with UV-light and visible light, while the substitution facilitates the high stability of the photochemically formed (Z)-isomer. The effectiveness of the irradiation and the composition of photostationary states was determined by UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. A nematic phase formed by the materials was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarizing microscopy. We show that the materials easily change their relative configuration of the N=N double bond not only in solution, but also in the mesophase, which leads to fast isothermal phase transition from the nematic phase to isotropic liquid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]