Liquid-crystalline fork-like dendrons

ABSTRACT

Dendritic molecules having several rigid-rod moieties can be applied to induce liquid crystallinity for a variety of non-mesomorphic functional molecules such as metal complexes, nanoparticles, fullerenes and π-conjugated molecules when these dendritic molecules are covalently bonded to those non-mesomorphic molecules. These complex molecules are called supermolecular liquid crystals. Due to the cooperation of several mesogenic moieties, these dendritic molecules exhibit very stable liquid-crystalline (LC) phases. We have used fork-shaped LC dendrons having two or three rigid-rod moieties to induce liquid crystallinity for functional molecules such as interlocked molecules and π-conjugated molecules. In these fork-like molecules, the rigid-rod cores are attached to the 3,4,5-position of the phenyl moieties through flexible spacer, and these molecules are bonded to functional molecules through the 1-position. They basically form smectic LC phases, which induce the layered arrangement of functional moieties. Here we report on a new family of fork-like mesogens containing a hydrogen bonding moiety or an ionic group. They are designed to build supramolecular materials.