Abstract
A novel U-shaped liquid-crystalline molecule where two polar mesogenic groups are connected via catechol, 1-{6-(3,4-difluorophenyloxy)hexyloxy}-2-{6-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)phenyloxy]hexyloxy}benzene, has been prepared and the electro-optical properties investigated. A threshold voltage of a nematic mixture consisting of a host nematic liquid crystal and 10wt% of the U-shaped compound was found to be markedly lower than that of the host LC. We discuss structure-property correlations of the U-shaped liquid -crystalline system.
