Control over Nanostructures and Associated Mesomorphic Properties of Doped Self-Assembled Triarylamine Liquid Crystals

We have synthesized a series of triarylamine-cored molecules equipped with an adjacent amide moiety and dendritic peripheral tails in a variety of modes. We show by (1) H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy that their supramolecular self-assembly can be promoted in solution upon light stimulation and radical initiation. In addition, we have probed their molecular arrangements and mesomorphic properties in the bulk by integrated studies on their film state by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), variable-temperature polarizing optical microscopy (VT-POM), variable-temperature X-ray diffraction (VT-XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Differences in the number and the disposition of the peripheral tails significantly affect their mesomorphic properties associated with their lamellar- or columnar-packed nanostructures, which are based on segregated stacks of the triphenylamine cores and the lipophilic/lipophobic periphery. Such structural tuning is of interest for implementation of these soft self-assemblies as electroactive materials from solution to mesophases.