Abstract
Low-molecular-weight and polymeric ionic liquid-crystalline systems were synthesized and their thermal and orientational behavior was estimated. The effects of counterions for the liquid crystal formation were discussed. The nitro terminal group-containing ionic liquid crystalline materials (IAz-n/Halide) with halide counterions formed a smectic A phase. IAz-n/Ts with toluene sulfonate counterion show no liquid crystalline phase. IAz-n/PA and IAz-n/DD with polyions (PA : polyacrylate ion, DD : dendrimer with terminal carboxylate ions) exhibited a liquid crystalline phase.