Electrical conductivity of lyotropic and thermotropic ionic liquid crystals consisting of metal alkanoates

The electrical properties of ionic smectic liquid crystal (ISLCs), specifically, (i) oriented and non-oriented samples of lyotropic ISLC potassium caproate and (ii) oriented samples of thermotropic ISLC cobalt decanoate, are investigated in detail. The electrical conductivity of lyotropic smectic potassium caproate is higher than that of isotropic electrolytes. A giant anisotropy in the electrical conductivity of oriented samples of thermotropic ISLC cobalt decanoate is observed. The mobility of charge carriers in lyotropic ISLC is measured for the first time. The unusual electrical properties of ISLCs, which are governed by their layered structure, show that they have application potential in optoelectronic devices.