Smectic nanoclusters in the nematic mesophases of dimeric compounds composed of rod-like azo moieties with lateral substituents.

In order to investigate the effect of different lateral substituents at different locations of dimers as well as the direction of ester linkages on the mesogenic properties, several new homologous series of dimeric compounds are synthesised. Here, two rod-like non-mesogenic laterally substituted azo moieties are connected to each other by an alkylene spacer through ester linkages. In all these dimers, the end alkoxy chain length is kept constant and the length of the spacer chain is varied. An odd–even effect of methylene groups in the spacer chain is observed in addition to a clear effect of lateral substituents at different positions and the direction of ester linkages on the mesomorphic properties. These dimers exhibit nematic and smectic mesophases. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the nematic phases are composed of skewed smectic nanoclusters (NcybC) irrespective of whether a smectic phase exists below the nematic phase or not. We did not observe any bent-core phases in these dimers. They are photo-switching both in solution and in their nematic mesophases. We observed that the photo-induced effect is more pronounced in the case of dimers with an odd-spacer when compared to those with an even-spacer. The gelation properties of these dimers are also investigated and a comparison of the liquid crystalline and gelation properties of these dimers has been made with reported similar but laterally unsubstituted dimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]