Dimer liquid crystals with bent mesogenic units

Three series of dimer liquid crystals containing an aromatic and a cholesteryl mesogenic unit were synthesized and investigated The compounds within the series differ in the length of the spacer connecting the mesogenic groups. Two of the three series contain an aromatic mesogenic group that is connected to the spacer at a meta-position instead of the para-position. Due to the presence of this bent mesogenic group, the odd-even effect in the transitional properties that is normally observed for dimer liquid crystals is reversed as compared with that of the third series, which contains a para-substituted aromatic mesogenic group. The reversed odd-even effect is found for the isotropization temperatures, the associated enthalpy changes and also for the optical properties.