Importance of the Role of Flexible Spacers in Liquid Crystal Formation by Bent Dimesogenic and Star-Shaped Trimesogenic Compounds

Importance of the Role of Flexible Spacers in Liquid Crystal Formation by Bent Dimesogenic and Star-Shaped Trimesogenic Compounds

A series of compounds that contain varying numbers of the same mesogenic structure, biphenyl p-oxybenzoate unit, attached through a pentamethylene spacer to the central benzene ring were prepared and their liquid crystallinity was studied. The mesophase-forming ability of a dimesogenic compound was found to be greatly dependent on whether or not its geometric shape is linear and also on the existence of the pentamethylene spacer between the mesogen and the central core. The presence of the spacer enhanced the capacity of a compound to form a mesophase. In the trimesogenic compound the mesogens were linked to the 1,3,5-positions of the core benzene ring through the spacer. The compound was found to be enantiotropically nematic.