The effect of olefinic terminal chains on the mesomorphic properties of 4,4 '-disubstituted diphenyldiacetylenes

    Authors

    M. E. Neubert; D. G. Abdallah; S. S. Keast; J. M. Kim; S. Lee; R. M. Stayshich;M. E. Walsh

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Liq. Cryst.

    Keywords

    DIACETYLENE LIQUID-CRYSTALS; HIGH-BIREFRINGENCE; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Crystallography; Materials Science, ; Multidisciplinary

    Abstract

    New diphenyldiacetylenes of the type [GRAPHICS] with A, B = H and/or F; m = 0, 1; n = 1-4; and X = CNH2n+1, F, CF3 or CN were synthesized and their mesomorphic properties determined by hot stage polarizing microscopy and DSC. When m = 0, all of these compounds showed only a nematic phase except when X = CF3 when both nematic and smectic A phases were seen. Both clearing and melting temperatures were higher than those reported for substitution with the corresponding alkyl chains but the much larger increase in clearing temperatures produced considerably wider nematic phases. Eutectic mixtures of a few of these olefins yielded nematic materials also having much wider temperature ranges and higher clearing temperatures than the eutectic mixtures of the alkyl compounds, while retaining their high birefringence and low viscosities. Such materials are of interest for beam-steering devices. Four of the diacetylenes with m = 1 (A, B = H) were also prepared (X = C6H13, F, n = 2, 3). When X was C6H13 (n = 2), the nematic range was smaller in the 2- than in the 1-olefin but wider than in the alkyl series. When X = F, either no nematic phase or a monotropic one was observed, whereas the 1-olefins gave a much wider nematic phase. Both transition temperatures were lower than those for the corresponding 1-olefin and alkyl analogues. The compound with X = C6H13 and n = 2 had a melting temperature below room temperature.

    Journal Title

    Liquid Crystals

    Volume

    30

    Issue/Number

    6

    Publication Date

    1-1-2003

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    711

    Last Page

    731

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000183421800009

    ISSN

    0267-8292

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