苯并菲盘状液晶的合成、亲氟效应及分子对称性对介晶性的影响

New symmetrical and asymmetrical triphenylene-containing discotic liquid crystals with two different peripheral alkyl chains, known as sym-TP(OC6H13)3(OR)3 and asym-TP(OC6H13)3(OR)3, were synthesized. Their thermotropic liquid crystal properties were investigated through polarizing optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The asyrranetdcal discogens are 2,6,11-rialkoxy-3,7,10-trihexyloxytriphenylenes, with the alkyl chain carbon numbers varying from 3-10, 12, and 14, while the symmetrical compounds are 2,6,10-trialkyloxy-3,7,11-trihexyloxytriphenylene. Two fluoroalkoxy substituted triphenylene discogens, 2,6,10-td(4,4,4-trifluorobutoxy)-3,7,11-trihexyloxytriphenylene and its asymmetrical isomer 2,6,11-tri(4,4,4-trifluorobutoxy)-3,7,10-trihexyloxytdphenylene were prepared. These two compounds show higher melting and clearing points than their alkoxy analogs, which implies that fluorophilic effect exists in the formation and stabilization of discotic columnar mesophase. The triphenylene derivatives TP(OC6H13)3(OR)3 with two different peripheral chains, symmetrically or asymmetrically attached on triphenylene cores, have lower melting points and clearing points than those of the higher symmetrical compounds TP(OR)6 with the same total chain carbon numbers. The mixed-chain-triphenylenes with longer alkoxy chains (n=9,10,12,14) show columnarmesophase at room temperature.     

Investigations on discotic liquid crystals

ABSTRACT

Discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) have reached from curiosity to commodity in a short span of time. Tremendous development has been observed in the field of DLCs in the past few years due to their vide-viewing display and unidirectional conducting properties. In this article, I present some aspects of research carried out by me and my collaborators on DLCs. This work was presented at the Asian Conference on Liquid Crystals (ACLC 2019) at Shenzhen, China during January 17–18, 2019.     

Copper Causes Regiospecific Formation of C4F8‐Containing Six‐Membered Rings and their Defluorination/Aromatization to C4F4‐Containing Rings in Triphenylene/1,4‐C4F8I2 Reactions

The presence of Cu in reactions of triphenylene (TRPH) and 1,4‐C₄F₈I₂ at 360 °C led to regiospecific substitution of TRPH ortho C(β) atoms to form C₄F₈‐containing rings, completely suppressing substitution on C(α) atoms. In addition, Cu caused selective reductive‐defluorination/aromatization (RD/A) to form C₄F₄‐containing aromatic rings. Without Cu, the reactions of TRPH and 1,4‐C₄F₈I₂ were not regiospecific and no RD/A was observed. These results, supported by DFT calculations, are the first examples of Cu‐promoted 1) regiospecific perfluoroannulation, 2) preparative C?F activation, and 3) RD/A. HPLC‐purified products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, low‐temperature PES, and ¹H/¹⁹F NMR.     

Liquid crystal parameters through image analysis

A technique which combines image analysis and polarising optical microscope (POM) is a useful tool for the physical investigation of discotic liquid crystals, such as hexabutoxytriphenylene and hexahexyloxytriphenylene. This investigation includes the phase transitions, optical properties and order parameter as a function of temperature. Textures of discotic liquid crystals are captured as a function of temperature using POM. These microscopic textures are analysed using MATLAB software to compute statistical parameters, Legendre moments, optical parameters and order parameters of discotic liquid crystal samples. Compared with other techniques in the literature, the proposed methodology is a reliable and very simple technique for the physical investigation of liquid crystals.     

Synthesis and characterisation of 3-armed dendritic molecules with triphenylbenzene or triphenyltriazine as core and triphenylene derivative as shells

Two series 3-armed dendritic molecules with their 1,3,5-tris(4-methyloxyphenyl) benzene or 2,4,6-tris(4- hydroxylphenyl)-1,3,5-s-triazine core and triphenylene derivative shells connected by soft hydrocarbon chains have been synthesised and fully characterised. Whether liquid crystal (LC) or photoluminescence materials have been tuned by changing the length of the soft chain and they have been studied by POM, DSC, XRD, UV-Vis and PL. The results show that all the new dendritic compounds display UV to blue fluorescence in solvents such as DCM, THF and acetone. The TC3 compound bearing 1,3,5-tris(4-hydroxylphenyl) benzene core exhibits LC property with rectangular columnar phase (Col_r) on cooling.     

三唑环修饰的苯并菲二羧酸酯和酰亚胺: 合成、液晶及凝胶性

在盘状液晶分子外围柔性链中引入功能不同的基团, 是设计和合成具有良好液晶性能化合物的常用策略. 本工作从苯并菲2,3-二甲酸和酸酐出发, 通过亲核取代和点击反应, 分别合成了两类三唑环修饰的苯并菲二羧酸酯和苯并菲酰亚胺化合物. 热重分析仪(TGA)测试表明, 新制备的主要中间产物与目标化合物失重为5%时的温度在274~389 ℃之间, 均表现出良好的热稳定性. 我们通过差示扫描量热法(DSC)、偏光显微镜(POM)和变温X射线衍射(XRD)实验对这些化合物的热力学行为和介晶性进行了研究. 除三唑环修饰的酯3a和3b无液晶性外, 主要中间产物(2和5)与三唑环修饰的酰亚胺产物(6a和6b)均有一个六方柱状液晶相. 此外, 制备的以三唑为桥联基团的酰亚胺二聚体10为室温液晶, 具有173 ℃的液晶范围. XRD证实了该二聚体中存在有序度不同的两种柱状液晶相(Col_h1和Col_h2). 另外, 由于三唑环的引入, 三唑环修饰的酯类和酰亚胺两类化合物在某些有机溶剂中都能形成有机凝胶. 其中, 二聚体10在1,2-二氯乙烷和1,4-二氧六环中表现出优异的凝胶能力, 其临界凝胶浓度(CGC)可低至1 mg/mL. 相比之下, 不含三唑环的中间产物2和5则不能形成凝胶, 表明三唑环之间的偶极-偶极作用和液晶刚性核π-π堆积的协同作用对于超分子凝胶的形成起着重要的作用. 因此, 同时表现出液晶和凝胶性质的三唑环修饰的苯并菲2,3-二酰亚胺分子具有成为一种多功能材料的潜在应用价值.     

羟基取代苯并菲化合物分子的结构与电荷传输性质研究

在量子化学B3LYP/6-31G**水平上对苯并菲, 氟及羟基取代苯并菲化合物分子及其分子离子的结构进行理论研究, 得到稳定构型. 在此基础上, 计算二聚物的单点能随旋转角度和盘间距离的变化关系, 得到能量最低点. 根据电子转移的半经典模型计算了苯并菲及氟和羟基取代苯并菲化合物分子的电荷转移常数, 氟和羟基的引入使正电荷转移速率常数明显减小, 即不利于正电荷的传输, 对负电荷的传输速率常数影响不大.     

Influence of peripheral alkyl chain length on the mesomorphic behaviours of hexasubstituted triphenylene 2,3-dicarboxylic esters

A comparative study of our established synthetic approaches to hexasubsituted triphenylenes 2,3-dicarboxylic esters containing four identical β-alkoxy and two adjacent β-alkoxycarbonyl side chains shows that the phase behaviours of small-sized discotic liquid crystals can be tailored over a wide range by simply varying the length of the peripheral alkyl chains. All the prepared esters in two series were observed to form a single hexagonal columnar phase, except for Tp4-1 having four β-butyloxy and two adjacent β-methoxycarbonyl chains which displays two columnar mesophase behaviours with a transition from the columnar plastic phase to hexagonal columnar phase. A significant difference between the two mesophase was observed in the variable temperature X-ray diffraction studies, and the mesophase assignment was also confirmed by polarising optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Moreover, the prepared esters in each series display the general trend of decreasing clearing temperature upon increasing alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl chains length. The intermediate triphenylene 2,3-dicarboxylic acids were also found not only to exhibit columnar hexagonal mesophase over a narrower temperature range by maintaining high melting and clearing points but also to form organogel on mixing with toluene or dichloromethane with the assistance of hydrogen bonding.     

Stereoselective Formation of Triphenylene Ketals

The oxidative trimerization of catechol ketals by MoCl₅ or MoCl₅/TiCl₄ mixtures leads preferentially to the all‐syn stereoisomer of the corresponding triphenylene ketal. The concomitant metal salts of the oxidative coupling most probably form a multinuclear template that directs the diastereoselectivity in a subsequent isomerization step under electrophilic conditions. Several functionalities can serve as coordination sites for the multinuclear metal chloro clusters. Suitable functional groups have to be stable towards the strong electrophilic and oxidizing conditions. Therefore, esters, nitriles, nitro derivatives, triazoles, and pyridines are successfully employed. Based on the flexibility and size of the substrate, different reagent mixtures lead to the stereoselective formation of the all‐syn derivatives.     

A Molecular Mean Field Theory of Reentrant Phases

The observed phase transition sequence N-S_A-N_re S_re with a lowering in temperature in pure compounds of molecules with a strongly polar end group is reproduced in a mean field model which is taken as an extension of the McMillan potential. This model shows how the dimers in presence of space filling monomers can account for the high temperature S_A phase. As the temperature is lowered, more and more monomers form dimers leaving empty spaces and this initiates an intercalation of dimers belonging to the neighbouring layers. This intercalation is responsible for the lowering of the strength of layering interaction in a McMillan type potential and thus a reentrant nematic phase occurs. This model for the first time successfully accounts for the thickness of the low temperature smectic phase.