Design of discotic liquid crystal enabling complete switching along with memory of homeotropic and homogeneous alignment over a large area.
Chem Sci
; 13(34): 9891-9901, 2022 Aug 31.
Article
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| ID: mdl-36128239
ABSTRACT
The alignment control of discotic columnar liquid crystals (LCs), featuring a low motility of the constituent molecules and thus having a large viscosity, is a challenging task. Here we show that triphenylene hexacarboxylic ester, when functionalized with hybrid side chains consisting of alkyl and perfluoroalkyl groups in an appropriate ratio, gives a hexagonal columnar (Colh) LC capable of selectively forming large-area uniform homeotropic or homogeneous alignments, upon cooling from its isotropic melt or upon application of a shear force at its LC temperature, respectively. In addition to the alignment switching ability, each alignment state remains persistent unless the LC is heated to its melting temperature. In situ X-ray diffraction analysis under the application of a shear force, together with polarized optical microscopy observations, revealed how the columnar assembly is changed during the alignment-switching process. The remarkable behavior of the discotic LC is discussed in terms of its rheological properties.
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01-internacional
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MEDLINE
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En
Revista:
Chem Sci
Año:
2022
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Article