62808-20-2

Upstream product

• 3575-31-3 4-octylbenzoic acid 
• 123-08-0 4-hydroxy-benzaldehyde 
• 50606-97-8 p-n-octylbenzoyl chloride 

Downstream Products

• 170286-41-6 4-(4-octylbenzoyloxy)benzoic acid 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Controlling the formation of heliconical smectic phases by molecular design of achiral bent-core molecules

Fluids with spontaneous helical structures formed by achiral low molecular mass molecules is a newly emerging field with great application potential. Here, we explore the chemical mechanisms of the helix formation by systematically modifying the structure of a bent 4-cyanoresorcinol unit functionalized with two different phenyl benzoate based aromatic rods and terminated with two alkyl chains of variable length. The majority of these achiral compounds self-assemble, forming a short-pitch heliconical liquid crystalline phase in broad temperature ranges. In some cases, it occurs without any competing low-temperature phase. We demonstrate that the mirror symmetry broken mesophase occurs at the paraelectric-(anti)ferroelectric transition if the tilt angle of the molecules in the smectic layers is around 18-20° and if this transition coincides with a change of the tilt correlation between the layers. In the close vicinity of this transition, a field-induced heliconical phase develops as well as a new heliconical phase with polarization-randomized structure. These investigations provide a blueprint for the future design of achiral molecules capable of spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking by the formation of heliconical liquid crystalline phases.

Effect of the Functional Groups of Racemic Rodlike Schiff Base Mesogens on the Stabilization of Blue Phase in Binary Mixture Systems

Four series of rodlike racemic Schiff base mesogens possessing different alkyl chains and two types of linkages, ester and alkynyl linkages, were synthesized and applied to induce cubic blue phases (BPs) in simple binary mixture systems. The mesophases of these Schiff base mesogens were confirmed by variable-temperature X-ray diffraction and the characteristic texture from polarized optical microscopy (POM). In general, when chiral additive S-(+)-2-octyl 4-(4-hexyloxybenzoyloxy)benzoate (S811; 20-40 wt %) is added into the rodlike racemic salicylaldimine-based mesogens, the cubic BPs could be observed and its temperature range is larger than 20 K. The widest temperature range of the cubic BP (35 K) can be observed in the blending mixture composed of rodlike racemic salicylaldimine-based mesogen OH-TIn possessing alkynyl linkage and 35-40 wt % S811. However, Schiff base mesogens possessing alkynyl linkage show a direct isotropic to chiral nematic transition when equal amount of chiral dopant is added. Notably, the termination temperature of BPs is very close to room temperature (ca. 35 °C) after 40.0 wt % S811 is added into the salicylaldimine-based mesogens possessing terminal alkyl chains and ester linkage. Interestingly, wide BPs (>30 K) can also be induced by adding chiral additive 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-2,5-bis[4-(n-hexyl-1-oxy)benzoic acid]sorbitol (ISO(6OBA)2) with a high helical twisting power into the racemic Schiff base mesogen possessing ester linkage. Cubic BPI and BPII can be confirmed by reflectance spectra and POM. The results of reflectance spectra indicate that the binary mixture composed of salicylaldimine-based mesogens and S811 easily exhibits a supercooling effect and induces BPI. However, only BPII can be observed in all binary mixtures containing Schiff base mesogens. On the basis of our experimental results and molecular modeling, we suppose that the values of biaxiality, polarizability, and the dipole moment of molecular geometry are the main factors that affect BP stabilization.

Novel radical compounds bearing mesogenic cores with long alkyl substituents

Series of aminoxyl radicals (TEMPO or nitronyl nitroxide radicals) bearing phenyl benzoate, troponoid, or biphenylcarbonitrile as mesogenic cores with long alkyl substituents were prepared. Although most aminoxyl radicals showed only weak antiferromagnetic interactions due probably to the remote spin centers as clarified by the X-ray analysis of 4a and no appreciable mesogenic phase was observed in each compound, an unusual magnetic transition from an original Curie-Weiss phase to another magnetic phase well-expressed by a singlet-triplet (ST) model was disclosed through the thermal transition in the 4′-undecyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile derivative with oxocarbonyl-TEMPO 12b.

Liquid-Crystalline Heterocycloalkanes. III. Synthesis and Liquid-Crystalline Properties of Substituted 1,3-Dioxadecalines

Liquid-crystalline 2-substituted and 2,6-disubstituted 1,3-dioxadecalines (4-6) were synthesized by acid-catalyzed acetalization of trans-2-hydroxymethylcyclohexanol (1) or trans-4-alkyl-trans-2-hydroxymethylcyclohexanoles (2) with aldehydes 3 whereby the desired trans-isomers were formed only.The syntheses of the various aldehydes are also described.Special attention is drawn on the evolution of mesogenic properties of the title compounds 4-6 in comparison with known decalines and 1,3-dioxanes.It was found that the clearing temperatures of the synthesized 1,3-dioxadecalines are always lower than those of the corresponding decaline derivatives, due to the deformation of the decaline-ringsystem by the introduction of two oxygen-atoms.The comparison of 1,3-dioxanes and 1,3-dioxadecalines shows that the dioxadecaline ringsystem tends to suppress smectic mesophases in favour of nematics.A first example of a liquid crystalline cis-fused 1,3-dioxadecaline (8) is described, too.