Liquid crystalline phase transitions under UV irradiation for calamitic-discotic bimesomorphic ester-linked alkoxyazobenzene-triphenylene derivatives

Abstract

A triphenylene derivative which has six 4-tetradecyloxyazobenzene units connected via propylene-ester linkages shows both calamitic and discotic LC phases. The phase transition accompanied by molecular shape change can be reversibly performed by controlling both heat and UV light intensity (λ= 365 nm). In this study, we investigated the effect of photoisomerization of azobenzene units on the mesomorphism with GI-SAXS technique under UV irradiation.