Synthesis of cyclopentyloxy terphenyl liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy

Liquid crystalline materials possessing negative dielectric anisotropy (Δε) have attracted considerable attention because they can be used to formulate eutectic mixture for several display applications. The negative Δε can be achieved by introducing a lateral polar substituent onto the mesogen core of a liquid crystalline material, and fluorine atoms are usually used because of the small size and high electronegativity. 2,3-ortho-Difluoro substituent liquid crystals exhibit stable and profound physical properties such as the low viscosity, strong negative Δε, and high solubility. To avoid the decrease of the mesophase range, 2,3-ortho-difluorophenyl is often placed next to the terminal chain. In this paper, we have synthesised a new series of 2,3-ortho-difluoroterphenyl liquid crystals with a negative dielectric anisotropy. Ether oxygen is introduced to the structure because it can further increase the lateral dipole moment. 3-Alkylcyclopentane end group decreases both the melting point and the viscosity, which makes it an appropriate substituent for negative Δε 2,3-ortho-difluoroterphenyl liquid crystals. The mesomorphic properties as well as the optical anisotropies of the synthesised liquid crystals are discussed in this paper. All compounds in the series are found to possess highly negative dielectric anisotropy, wide mesophase ranges; therefore, they have a great potential to formulate eutectic mixture for liquid crystal displays.