A novel family of salicylaldimine-based five-ring symmetric and non-symmetric banana-shaped mesogens derived from laterally substituted resorcinol: Synthesis and characterization

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/b610758c

We present the results of our extensive investigations into the phase behavior of several "robust" five-ring banana-shaped compounds. Six homologous series of either symmetric or non-symmetric bent-core molecules, comprising a laterally substituted 1,3-phenylene ring as the central unit covalently linked to thermally and hydrolytically stable rod-like salicylaldimine segments have been synthesized and evaluated for their mesomorphism. The mesophases have been characterized by optical, calorimetric, X-ray diffraction and electro-optical studies. With a methyl group, polarizable chlorine atom or the more polarizable nitro group as the lateral substituent(s) and terminal alkoxy tails of varying length, the structure-property correlation has been determined. Our study clearly demonstrates that these materials, as predicted, display a different behavior compared to the corresponding compounds without the lateral substituents. The phase behavior shows a critical dependence on the nature and position of the lateral substituent(s). The study includes a comparison with the phase behavior of some of the other types of banana-shaped compounds. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2007.