Liquid-crystalline properties of chiral oligothiophene derivatives: Influence of side chains on phase transition behaviors

Abstract

Molecular chirality induces the formation of helical or polar structures, which are promising for characteristic optical and electric properties. Our current intention is to develop chiral π-conjugated liquid crystals as multifunctional materials combining molecular chirality and photoconductive properties. Recently, we have developed oligothiophene-based π-conjugated ferroelectric liquid crystals which exhibit the bulk photovoltaic effect in smectic phases. In this study, we investigated the liquid-crystalline property of several phenylthiophene derivatives with different side chain units. We will report the influence of chiral position and chain length on their phase transition behaviors.