Room temperature supramolecular columnar liquid crystals formed by hydrogen bonding of isoquinoline derivatives

We report new self-assembled discotic liquid crystals exhibiting columnar mesophases at room temperature, which are constructed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the core of 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene or 1,3,5-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid and the peripheral molecules of isoquinoline derivatives. The mesomorphic properties of supramolecular liquid crystals were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies. The self-assembled liquid crystals exhibited rectangular columnar phases (Col_ro) with an ordered stacking structure of the mesogens in a column at room temperature, regardless of the type of the core molecule, due probably to the close-packed aromatic rings around a core molecule and the angular structure in three arms of the discotic mesogen. These room temperature columnar phases are rare examples for the discotic liquid crystals, and our findings in the present study provide a new way to prepare low melting columnar liquid crystalline materials for molecular electronics.