Structural factors controlling the self-assembly of columnar liquid crystals
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| Authors: | Foster, EJ; Jones, RB; Lavigueur, C; Williams, VE |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Journal: | J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128: 8569-8574 Article Link (DOI) PubMed |
| Title: | Structural factors controlling the self-assembly of columnar liquid crystals |
| Abstract: | A series of disc-shaped molecules were prepared by the condensation of 1,2-diamines with 2,3,6,7-tetrakis(hexyloxy) phenanthrene-9,10-dione to investigate the relationship between changes in molecular structure and the self-assembly of columnar liquid crystalline phases. A comparison of compounds with different core sizes indicated that molecules with larger aromatic cores had a greater propensity to form columnar phases, as did compounds substituted with electron-withdrawing groups. In contrast, molecules with electron-donating substituents were nonmesogenic. The clearing temperature of columnar phases increased linearly with the electron-withdrawing ability of the substituents, as quantified by Hammett sigma-values. The observed trends can be rationalized in terms of the strength of pi-pi interactions between aromatic cores in the liquid crystalline phases and suggest that both electrostatic interactions and dispersion forces play important roles in the self-assembly of these materials. |
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