Novel rodlike liquid crystalline dimer possessing a lateral dipole at the molecular center

Abstract

Rod-like liquid crystalline compounds 1 and 2 possessing an pyridine ring at the central flexible spacer connecting two mesogens were synthesized and their thermodynamic behaviors and layer structures were investigated. Bent-rod shaped molecules 1 exhibited monotropic mesophases (M). On the other hand, straight-rod shaped molecules 2 exhibited highly ordered smectic phases (SmX1 and SmX2). Additionally a miscibility experiment of 1 and phenylbenzoate derivative 3 was performed to investigate the dopant effect of the bent-rod shaped molecule to conventional smectic C phases. A monotropic smectic CA phase was induced, which was identified by polarized optical microscopy.