Thermally stable azo-substituted bent-core nematogens: observation of chiral domains in the nematic mesophases composed of smectic nano clusters

In an effort to synthesise thermally stable bent-core nematogens with fairly low transition temperatures and wide nematic mesophase range, we have synthesised five new series of azo-substituted bent-core compounds without Schiff’s base unit. Here, we studied the effect of different lateral substituents (–CH₃ and –Cl), at two different positions in one of the arms, on the mesogenic properties. We found that such variation in the molecular architecture has a clear-cut impact on the transition temperatures as well as the liquid crystalline properties. The mesogenic properties of these compounds were studied using polarising optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The exact nature of different mesophases is investigated using X-ray diffraction studies. The results obtained indicated the presence of smectic nano clusters in the nematic mesophases of these compounds. We observed domains of opposite handedness in these nematic phases. The unusual properties of these mesophases were investigated by electro-optical studies. The electro-convection pattern study showed that these nematic mesophases are of negative dielectric anisotropic in nature. The compounds synthesised here exhibit photo-switching both in solution and in their nematic mesophases, a property that can be exploited for practical applications.