Angewandte
Communications
Chemie
Table 1: Mesophase types, phase-transition temperatures (T/8C), and
transition enthalpies [DH/kJmolÀ1] of compounds 1–4.[a]
Compd.
Phase sequence
[
1
Heating: Cr 121 [35.1] Tet 175 [0.7] Iso1 *] 189 [0.2] Iso
Cooling: Iso 185 [0.1] Iso1 *] 163 [0.3] Tet 76 [33.7] Cr
[
[
2
3
4
Heating: Cr 137 [45.7] Tet 158 [0.5] Iso1 *] 169 [<0.05] Iso
Cooling: Iso 162 [<0.05] Iso1 *] 150 [0.4] Tet 112 [45.9] Cr
[
Heating: Cr 121 [36.9] SmA 155 [0.3] N 170 [0.2] Iso
Cooling: Iso 168 [0.4] N 154 [0.1] SmA 80 [31.3] Cr
Heating: Cr 128 [47.6] Iso1 *] 144 [<0.05] Iso
[
Cooling: Iso 139 [<0.05] Iso1 *] 114 [2.4] Tet 100 [36.4] Cr
[
[a] Peak temperatures as determined from first heating and first cooling
DSC scans with rate 10 KminÀ1. Abbreviations: Cr=crystalline solid;
Tet =tetragonal 3D mesophase; SmA=smectic A phase; N=nematic
[
phase; Iso1 *] =chiral isotropic conglomerate liquid; Iso=achiral iso-
tropic liquid.
Figure 2. Textures of compounds 1 and 4 between nontreated glass
[
substrates (thicknessꢀ25 mm). a) Compound 1 in the Iso1 *] phase at
T=1808C after rotating one polarizer by circa 58 from the crossed
position in the anticlockwise and b) in the clockwise direction. Dark
and bright domains are evident, indicating the presence of a conglom-
erate of domains with opposite chirality. The conglomerate textures
observed for these isotropic liquids were found to be independent of
the used substrates, also in homeotropic and planar cells, as long as
any contamination with traces of chirality is strictly excluded; in this
case unequal areas or only one sign of handedness would be formed.
c) Tet phase of compound 1 at T=1608C. d) Tet phase of compound 4
at T=1138C.[21] The direction of the polarizers is indicated by arrows.
See Figure S12 for a color version of this figure.
phase is formed at T= 1638C, indicated by the rapid growth of
a low birefringent mosaic-like texture (see Figure 2c). This
mesophase is highly viscous and does not flow even under
medium mechanical stress, which is indicative of a mesophase
with a 3D lattice. The formation of this phase from the
Figure 1. DSC heating and cooling curves (10 KminÀ1) measured for 1.
Inset: Expanded temperature ranges (150–1958C) on heating and
cooling.
[
adjacent Iso1 *] phase is associated with a small transition
enthalpy of only DH ꢀ 0.3 kJmolÀ1 (Table 1). Despite the
solid-like crystalline optical appearance, XRD investigations
show a completely diffuse wide-angle scattering with a max-
imum at d = 0.45 nm, not very distinct from that in the Iso
phases, thus confirming that the individual molecules have no
fixed positions (Figure 3a, inset).
[
(Iso) as well as the chiral conglomerate liquid (Iso1 *]) appears
dark (optically isotropic) between crossed polarizers and both
have low viscosity and easily flow under gravity. However, in
[
the temperature range of the Iso1 *] phase, occurring below
There are numerous sharp reflections in the small-angle
range (Figure 3b; Table S1 in the Supporting Information)
which can be indexed to a tetragonal 3D lattice (Tet). In
previous work tetragonal mesophases were observed as
birefringent LC phases, often accompanying bicontinuous
cubic phases of rod-like molecules.[17–19] A tetragonal phase
was also reported for bent-shaped molecules.[20] There are
different subtypes of tetragonal phases with distinct lattice
types, but the structures and the reasons for their formation
have not been well understood. Unfortunately, the exact
symmetry of the lattice could not be determined from powder
XRD patterns and the oriented diffractions could not be
achieved at the current stage. The highest symmetry that fits
the diffraction pattern is P4/mmm, though a P4222 lattice
could also be possible. The lattice parameters (a = 13.9 and
c = 18.9 nm) are much larger than the molecular length
(Lmol = 4.9 nm in the most stretched conformation with all-
trans alkyl chains) and indicate a complex structure of this
1898C, uncrossing the polarizers by a small angle (circa 2–58)
in the clockwise or anticlockwise direction leads to the
appearance of dark and bright domains. After rotating the
analyzer by the same angle in the opposite direction, the dark
and bright domains are reversed (Figure 2a,b). Rotating the
sample between crossed polarizers does not lead to any
change, indicating that the distinct regions represent optically
active domains rotating the plane of polarized light into
[
opposite directions. The Iso1 *]–Iso phase transition is asso-
ciated with a small enthalpy change of 0.2–0.3 kJmolÀ1. The
shape of the peak, being relatively sharp at the high-temper-
ature end and having a significant tailing towards the low-
[
temperature side is typically detected for this Iso–Iso1 *]
transition[11,12] (Figure 1, inset).[16]
On cooling, the liquid–liquid transition between the
[
achiral Iso phase and the chiral conglomerate liquid (Iso1 *])
takes place at T= 1858C, and upon further cooling a meso-
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 312 –316
ꢀ 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
313